Engineered Camping Fun

We camped this year in true style. Granted, there were porta potties hauled in by a local potty pusher, but Cherry Creek, itself, consists of pure wilderness, a horse trailer full of food, about 50 decks of cards, swimming at the sulpher-smelling hot springs, a couple sets of horseshoe pegs and a horseshoe tournament trophy, stacks of sourdough pancakes, good campfire stories, and a bunch of smoky smelling Kings and Sorensons. It's awesome.

Everyone knows that wilderness, in and of itself, is loads of fun for the 0-12 age set. But the Idaho mountains mixed with Jared Parker becomes even more fun for kiddies. (As Jared's mother Barb describes, Jared could create fun times in a room full of crap.) This year at Cherry Creek Jared made a swing for the kids.

After scanning the area for the best natural swing frame, Jared donned his zippered hoodie, (with hood pulled and tied so tightly it revealed only his eyes and nose from it's gathered edge), then took on two tall pine trees in order to tie a rope about 25 feet high, from one tree to the other. He descended victoriously, despite numerous encounters with large deposits of pine sap. From that rope he hung the second rope with which he strung up the young'ns with a climbing harness and a life jacket and sent them sailing as easily as a spider dangling from a web in the wind. Just about every kid in camp gave it a go.

It was not your average tree swing, and I must admit that I, as a parent, was not content just watching and cheering on their fun and wonder at the sensation of flying. I was sorely jealous. Next time I am so insisting on the adult version. It's my turn to be Tinkerbell, Aft.

Luckily, I talked the Big J (Jared) into making a movie out of some of our video and pics from the swing. Unluckily, the video doesn't show how high the kids actually got over the course of the two days. Afton eventually got all the way up to 25 feet when Jared had her going at full speed, but you'll get an idea.

And, for anyone who knows Lindsey very well, it will come to no surprise to know that she, hands-down, won the dirtiest kid in camp award this year. I would occasionally chase her down with a wipe, but her then-cleanish cheeks wouldn't even last 5 minutes.

Thanks to Mom's cousin, Alice for bringing horses, and to Mom for riding with the kids.

David took 3rd place in Spencer Andrus's favorite people in camp. 1st was Jenna (his 10 yr old girlfriend) and 2nd was Grandpa King (it's fun to watch someone put on a prosthetic leg.)

Spencer wanted David to sleep by him in his tent, but Davie had to stay with us. Davie seemed OK with it.

This is what Cherry Creek can do to your kids too (let me know if anyone wants to come next year).

Who could possibly be behind these dirt rimmed fingernails?The Dirtiest Kid in Camp! who is actually showing a lot of skin for her average camp day.