Leaving Glacier gave us yet another reminder at how finely tuned things work to operate smoothly.  At our first gas stop, we noticed that one of the bars on our towing system had become unattached. We looked down to see that one of these clips was missing, and our whole trip was on hold.  We could not travel without it, and there were no camper stores anywhere around.  After spending some time troubleshooting with locals, we decided to stop in at the local Uhaul/garage door repair shop.  As we sat in the parking lot trying to create our own clip using a screwdriver, the handiest man came out of the shop.

He offered to weld this awesome substitute together.  By the time we were done with lunch in our camper, he was knocking on our door with the replacement piece… for $5?! Talk about a blessing!

We spent that night in another Walmart parking lot after a long driving day, a free perk of having a hard sided camper.

Just across the street, we were able to turn in all our Culver’s coupons for a free dinner.

The kids looked like they had won the lottery!

After another long driving day, we parked it in the Houghton, MI Walmart lot, the home of my alma mater, MTU.

The kids enjoyed a morning at Chutes and Ladders, an amazing park on the Portage.

As we walked along the bike trail, we were able to watch the Ranger pass through on its way to Isle Royale National Park, an amazing Park our kids have yet to see.

Breakfast at the Suomi is always on the list when passing through Houghton.

By the time we arrived in Copper Harbor at Fort Wilkins State Park, the skies opened up… one of the few times on our two month trip.  Both families had to take refuge in the campers, with Grandma making an executive decision to take everyone out for dinner at the Mariner.

It was a very rainy night, which made for an especially pretty morning on Lake Fannyhoe.

What looked like a very bleak weekend outlook turned into beautiful UP camping weather with campfires,

Biking with our new $30 Trek  bike,

Exploring the fort,

Playing old fashioned games,

lots of Grandma’s fine cooking,

creek walking,

swimming,

and crayfish catching.

The cedars on the lake are perfect for hammock hanging, so of course we had to set up a triple decker.

 

All the cousins were able to hang out together,

With Grandma,

and all together.  If you are looking for a place to slow things down with small agendas, this is the place!  We have returned many times since taking annual trips growing up.

Our last day was spent volunteering at the Copperman Triathlon, and we were able to watch college friend Jeff Zematis place too!

  

 

The kids enjoyed trying out Jeff’s fancy bike too.

We knew it could only be Jeff swimming by in the lake when a giant swan swam up to us.

We spent hours paddling in the lake and taking daily swims across.  The big boys joined us, a sure sign that the swim team paid off.

The campsite was filled with thimbleberries and raspberries, so the kids always had something to do at camp.

Lucy preferred to hang out with Uncle Chuck 😉

It’s always so tough to end the summer, but we were so appreciative that we were able to end it with loved ones once again.  (Travel dates 8/1-8/6/17) Until next summer!

 

Crossing into Canada surprises us every time with how different it is, even though we were only an hour north of the US.  Check out the line across the border where all the trees are cut.  When we crossed the park to the east side, we parked our camper at one of the most magical spots in the park, Many Glacier, and hurried off to Waterton for the day.  We were short on time, and trying to squeeze a visit in before my sister arrived the next day.  Similar to our experiences in Banff and Jasper, our trip to the visitor center wasn’t as informative as we had hoped.  Our first stop was Cameron Lake.

While beautiful, we were directed to take a hiking trail “between the  two outhouses” to an alpine lake.  It wasn’t quite what we expected (we found it odd that we were the only ones on this trail… apparently the visitor center did not recommend it to others).

Afterwards, we made a quick stop at the amazing Prince of Wales hotel.  What a magnificent place!

The next recommendation (from a fellow blogger) was our favorite!  Red Rock Canyon had easy access from the parking lot with an immediate reward.

The further you hiked into the canyon, the higher the walls became, and the more “butt slide” waterfalls we came across.

  

  

The kids had a blast walking through the water, climbing along trees,

  

and sliding on their butts down the cool waterfalls.

  

  

We would have loved to spend just a day in Red Rock Canyon, and had heard about some amazing long hikes in the park that we didn’t have time for.  On the way out, we headed to the driftwood beach across from the Prince of Wales hotel.

I was determined to get some pictures with these cool teepees!

As the sun started to set, the kids asked if they could check out some of the wood along the beach.  What unfolded next is not something I am proud of…

To my utter dismay, I looked up as they scattered along the beach, only to see a huge black bear trotting along the shore.

Ethan and Ellie were right next to me, so they crouched down low as we watched him pass us… with no time to get back to the car.

He picked up his pace as Chuck tried to go through the forest to get to the other three kids.

He was moving much too quickly for us to go ahead of him, so we were stuck behind him, reaffirming what they should do as they saw the bear.  They were not scared at all, and were more excited about  earning points for this caliber of wildlife.  On the other hand, we were petrified.  Chuck continued to head towards the kids, bear spray in hand.

Finally, the bear passed them, thankfully showing no interest at all in them.

Finally, we were all together, safe at last.  Bears are fascinating, yet so unpredictable.   A peaceful moment on the beach changed in an instant and if that bear had other things on his mind, circumstances could have been really bad.

We were so thankful to be safe, but took a moment to take a few shots of the big guys paw prints.

Before we left, more tourists arrived, with no idea what had just occurred on our private little beach.  You never know when a bear will decide to make an appearance, and this was a big wake up call for us to keep our kids much closer.

The bison paddock turned out to be a bust, although we did find one lone bison.

We were able to witness another amazing sunset on the way out,

and even more cows as we worked our way back to the US border.

There is something so magical about this little corner of Glacier National Park, and everyone knows it.  Whether you stand in line at 2am to wait for a non-reservable site, or spend days trying to get a reservable one online 6 months prior, it is always difficult.  The process to get a campsite is terrible, and I am so thankful for my small army of “site getters” who helped me manage to put together both sites we needed for this part of the trip.  My sister, Sheryl, was the first one who snagged a site online with her quick fingers, but after a little persuasion on our end, we convinced her to join us and keep the site for herself 😉  A dozen or more friends and a few days later of trying to get a site, another friend was able to grab a second site for us… as luck would have it, it was right next door!  What are the chances?!

Our first day there was spent trekking up to sister park, Watertown National Park, in Canada.  The second day, the Hoffpack hiked one of our favorite trails, the Grinnell Glacier Trail.  We saw this cute deer early on.

We met a fellow Midwest family on the trail, and spent the first 4 miles hauling.  We are grateful they were able to snap a family pic for us before parting ways.

One of the coolest parts of the trail is this waterfall, a great way to cool off on a hot day like this one!

  

Grinnell Glacier is one of the few remaining glaciers in the park, and the glacial water nearby is quite refreshing, a perfect place to stop for lunch.

By the time we headed back down, it was getting really toasty outside.  We may have gotten a little more wet this time going through the falls 😉

This guy was out foraging as we headed back.

The Dellangelo family had not arrived yet when we returned, so we decided to test out the boats in the creek.  This was probably not one of our brightest ideas, as the creek was not high enough to boat most of the way to Swiftcurrent Lake, so we  ended up dragging them most of the way.

By the time we got there, we decided my sister and family might be back at the site, so we took off portaging… the mile back to the campsite.

  

We were so excited that the Dellangelos decided to take such a big trip with their three little girls, and that they made us a part of it!  The creek was one of our favorite spots to play.

There is something so special about cousins.  They really love each other.

My sister knew that I become hiking possessed when in Glacier, so we were planning to take a separate early hike to Iceberg Lake and meet up in the afternoon, but lucky us, they decided to join us!  I don’t think her girls love hiking as much as our kids… yet 😉

We were able to see a couple more grizzlies on this mountain, with ranger led hike nearby.

Iceberg Lake is just amazing, and a great spot for lunch.  There were quite a few people jumping in on this sunny afternoon, so of course we had to join in on the fun.

Gav wanted to go all in, but we offered up this smaller iceberg for now.

On the other hand, us crazy parents had to take a swim!

  

The hike back was another scorcher.

  

The Dellangelo girls didn’t get to enjoy much of the scenery on the hike back.  They were zonked!

  

One of the best parts of this campground is the great river access, and the kids had a blast redirecting water.

Julia truly is a perfect baby.

  

I stood on in amazement at how dirty Nora managed to get in the campsite, despite any effort otherwise.  It wasn’t that long ago that we had toddlers, but I don’t remember them ever getting that dirty!

We got lucky with our other neighbors, and Braden spent every minute he could playing soccer with his new Montana buddy.

Back to back hikes did not seem to faze our little hikers, so we followed up Iceberg Lake with a 17 miler over Piegan Pass.  Mark offered to drop us off at St Mary’s, so we took the shuttle up to Siyeh Bend, and then hiked back over the pass to our campsite.

Just like Ethan’s description in “The Gift of Experience,” the wildflowers were spectacular.

We hiked over the icefield and reached the top of the pass in no time again.

The kids are always so intrigued by the cool fort at the summit.

Because this hike is not easy to maneuver logistically with doing different start and end points, we hardly ran into anyone on the trail, but saw a group that had gone out and back who we asked to snap this pic for us.

The marmots at the higher elevations are always so fun to watch.

This rock was a perfect spot to take a short break.

While we were there, we spotted a mountain goat off in the distance.

The hike down is miles of switchbacks.

All that downhill was too much for Ellie’s shoes, so they met an untimely death.  Good thing this was our last big hike of the trip!

One of the most amazing parts of this hike is all of the waterfalls, many of which are unnamed.

We made it back to Grinnell Lake and Lake Josephine with no bears or trouble this time.

By the time we made it back to Many Glacier, the hotel was a welcome sight!

We spent the next morning taking a short hike to Red Rock Falls with the Dellangelo’s.

This may sound creepy, but the kids love swimming in this lake… because of all these snakes?!

Our last afternoon was as warm as all the others, which called for more paddling on the lakes.  This time, we decided to paddle Swiftcurrent and portage over to Lake Josephine, a recommendation from our new Montana native friends.

Apparently, right after we took this pic, a big bull moose moved into the scene.

Thankfully, our evening campground walk to this lake was finally successful this time.  We were able to see this big guy with an old college friend and her family!

The kids had just met, but they got along like old friends!

It was a quick visit, but so fun to reconnect for our overlapping evening in Glacier!

Gav managed to catch this frog in the lake too, which got just as much attention as the big moose.

We snuck over to the motor inn for one of our favorite traditions, huckleberry ice cream.

Its always hard to say goodbye to Glacier, but it was time to head across the country to the Upper Peninsula for a visit with more family and friends before our summer 2017 trip end! (Travel dates 7/27-8/1/17)

It’s hard to imagine that somewhere 1500 miles away feels like home to us, but Glacier is one of those places.  After finishing a portion of 1, 2, or 3 nighters all across the Northwest (and one very hot night in the Kalispell Walmart parking lot), setting up camp in West Glacier was a welcome treat.  The familiarity is so comforting to us.  While in Kalispell, we made a quick trip into Costco to restock before hitting the park for the next week and a half.  I had always wanted a stand up paddle board, and being on all the lakes of Glacier seemed like the perfect time to get it.  We hurried over to our new site at Fish Creek Campground and headed up to one of our favorite spots, Bowman Lake.  We had made a mental note to return with boats next time, and did just that.  The double kayak and paddle board opened up so many new opportunities and we all had a blast!

The drive back to Fish Creek is tough with the one lane dirt road, but we were rewarded with a gorgeous sunset.

Back at camp, the new paddle board box provided days worth of entertainment of course.

Lake McDonald is another great spot to paddle, and we were fortunate that our campground was right on the water for easy access.

We wasted no time getting out on the trails, and our second day was spent hiking the Highline with the whole Hoffpack for the first time ever.  I couldn’t wait for the girls and Chuck to experience one of my all-time favorite trails.

  

  

The sky was clear and everyone was moving along so quickly that we couldn’t resist going up the Grinnell Glacier Overlook Trail.  Tackling that extends this trail to a full 16 mile day!  It was pretty impressive… even though the trail is very steep, the kids seemed to fly by other hikers like goats to their dismay (with only a couple stops for water).  It was safe to say we reached a new level!

On one of our stops, we were lucky enough to get some one on one time with this baby grouse.

The top was as clear as I’d ever seen it, and I think they were even more impressed than I was.  Here’s a great shot of Braden and Laney sharing a moment on top, looking out over the top of the world.  How your children see the world depends on what you show them.

We loved that they got up here and didn’t want to come back down.  The kids got lots of compliments from fellow hikers, which made it all that much more fun.

When we finally did head down, we ran into some big horn sheep grazing below.

The Granite Peak Chalet is one of those magical places in the middle of nowhere, and I have always vowed to stay here.  For now, we were able to make a quick lunch stop.  It’s so important to act out those dreams before they become an impossibility… the Sperry Chalet burnt down shortly after we left the park this summer sadly 🙁

The way down from the chalet is pretty spectacular,

but as you head down the loop trail, it gets hotter and hotter, and much of the forest is covered in mule poop and burnt down trees.  Despite how scenic some of these pictures may look, our feet were sore, and our legs were covered in dusty dirt and poop at this point, and we continued on as quickly as we could.

The kids couldn’t resist making a huckleberry picking stop of course.

Finally, we made it to the bridge signaling the end of the trail.

We had to wait for 3 buses to get down from the loop trailhead to Avalanche Lake.  All of the buses from Logan Pass down to Avalanche Lake are the shorter variety due to the length restrictions, limiting passengers.

By the time we made it on to a shuttle to Apgar, the kids had been rejuvenated… unlike us 😉

We spent the rest of the day getting an oil change and Domino’s for dinner.  They were pretty excited about getting their pizza, can you tell?

Three nights in Fish Creek was all we had time for this summer, so our last day was spent heading to Trail of the Cedars and Avalanche Lake.  That trail just gets more and more popular, and it felt like a super highway at times.

It never fails, there are always Chinese tourists who are magnetized to our girls, and this year was no exception.

The kids loved exploring a little corner of the lake where water bugs were playing amongst the drift wood below.

Of course we had to make a stop at Lake McDonald Lodge to play in the lake.

Chuck took the boys for a run down from Avalanche.  Boy, that was a toasty run!  We found out later that rangers had to rescue nearly a dozen people on the Highline Trail the week we were there due to heat exhaustion.  Thankfully, we had enough water to keep us going.

Despite how cold this glacial water is, the kids seem to think nothing of it, and love playing in the lake.  Once again, we can’t wait to return soon! (travel dates 7/24-7/27/17)

Christmas gift giving is always tough.  It’s a puzzling tradition, especially knowing how much we already have.  Sometimes, it seems that our lists and desires run contrary to the real reason for the season.  Trying to keep the gifting in the spirit of the meaning of Christmas and what we believe life is all about, some friends and I have been going back and forth sharing some of our favorite gift ideas.  I like to think that many of these “things” are something I call “experience-giving” gifts, presents that enhance experiences, give access to new possibilities, encourage interaction or memory building with family and friends or allows us to participate in new activities, as well as gifts from the heart (who doesn’t love a good homemade gift?).  We have only gotten better over the years of knowing what the kids will use the most.  We’ll start with a couple specific favorites, and then move into some general categories we enjoy.

1) Hydration and Cooling  Last year’s most useful gift was probably our Camelbaks, which were used pretty much every day on our summer trip (no more carrying water for the whole family! They carry their own, plus rain coats and snacks).  On longer hikes, the Camelbaks aren’t big enough to fit everything we need, so the bigger kids swap them out for a bigger backpack (in our family, quality backpacks are earned when they decide they are strong enough to hike with one ;)).  It’s even better when their bladders fit right in to those backpacks.  Another great gift is the new and very popular Hydroflask.  Since our kids are so active, we are always pushing water on them. Hydroflasks keep it cold for a long time and encourage them to stay hydrated.  Our kids were also given cooling towels last year as a gift, and they use them throughout the summer, as well as during all their athletic events.

2) Slack line (we set this up in so many of our campsites, and even after a hard hike, the kids never failed to race over to our little campsite playground).  We have also been able to set this up in the back yard for hours of entertainment, strengthening, and balance work.

3) Eno doublenest hammock (who couldn’t use a little time swinging in the trees, relaxing or reading a book?).  Now, if only we could find time to set it up at home too.

4) Walkie talkies (whether it was to communicate with the boys while they were on a run, occupy the girls while they were hiking, talk between two groups of hikers, or keep contact with another car when the phone lines died, these were a huge bonus).  They are so much fun yet serve so many purposes well, and you can spend between $20 for a decent kids set to several hundred, depending on the quality you are looking for.

5)  Hobbies.  They sure get expensive, so everyone can use things that will make those experiences better or easier.  For us, that includes shoes (running shoes, hiking boots, keens, etc), snowshoes, skis, snowboards, sleeping bags, tents, rollerblades, ice skates, goggles, gymnastics mats/bars, weights, cameras, binoculars, camp chairs, garmins, and more.  The kids were given joint Christmas/birthday gifts this year and got these awesome new tents!  The sleeping bags in the picture are the REI Kindercone, another favorite gift given to our kids.

Inflatable Boats have been a great addition for us too.  This year, we added an inflatable double kayak and stand up paddle board to our collection, which gave us a new way to get out and see the national parks when we needed a break from hiking.

6)  Games… Who doesn’t love a good game?  We played all of these games with others initially, and invested right away.  Many of the families we have introduced these games to have done the same.  We go in spurts playing them, but they always give our competitive family a good laugh and some great memories together.  Over the years, we have definitely developed some favorites, which include: Splendor (might be our personal favorite), Ticket to Ride, Set, Codenames, and last but definitely not least, Gubs (I must confess I have no idea how to play this one, as it is quite intimidating given how competitive our kids get when they play with each other!).

7)  Books… our kids sometimes do “book binging.”  When they find a good series, they just go!  Last summer, we found ourselves stopping at lots of Goodwill stores as Ethan raced through Percy Jackson books.  Other ideas include guide books to places we will be visiting or children’s book like “Who Pooped in the Park,” how to draw books, intricate “adult” type coloring books, journals, mileage logs, or autobiographies.  Braden’s new love of running was cemented even more as we read “Running for My Life“ by Lopez Lomong last month.  It was recommended by friends, and it has become his all-time favorite!  Reading is such a good time to spend time with the kids, or for them to have some solo time to become better readers.

8) Art Supplies… maybe it’s because dad is an art teacher, but all our kids love art.  Christmas gifts have included blank canvases, paints, markers, gel pens, any of the latest and greatest crafts, kinetic sand, play doh, clay, coloring or how to draw books as mentioned above, and even homemade art boxes with supplies from their aunt and uncle.  As I was looking for an art pic to share, I’ll take a moment to brag with a pic of Gavin and his winning yearbook cover;)

9)  Music – Whether it is music to listen to, instruments, or sheet music to play, music is an important part of the lives of many.  It keeps us moving, brings us together, helps us think, and develops skills.  In recent years, two of the boys have started playing the saxophone and trumpet, and all of them love learning to play the keyboard/piano.  Recorders, eukeleles, guitars, and wooden flutes have also been a fun outlet for them.  Here’s a shot of my bro teaching his “mini-me” to play the guitar, a highlight for me from our Thanksgiving visit.

10) Homemade Gifts – Nothing says “thinking of you” like a homemade gift.  I was so proud of our kids cross country team this year, I couldn’t help expressing it by making these brag boards as they headed off to the state meet this year, with the boys placing 5th and girls 6th in the state.  They worked so hard, I wanted to give them something to remember their effort and talent.

This list is certainly not meant to be inclusive of all gifts, but just some of the fun ones we have found in recent years.  Deals are better at some times than others, but all of these have been useful to us.  Please share with us any of your favorite gift ideas!

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It has been a long time since we have updated the blog.  Honestly, I got caught… between the past and the present.  It’s been months since the summer travels have been done, but we have so much more to share since our return home in August.  Of course, we ended up sharing none of it!  In the heart of his first trimester of middle school, Ethan bridged that gap for me.  While we have not finished sharing the summer (actually, probably my favorite spot of the summer), Ethan wrote this essay for school about one of our favorite hikes there, Piegan Pass, his first 16 mile hike in Glacier National Park.

“Crunch, crunch, crunch… we were about to summit Piegan Pass, and all of us were panting and treading very hard.  On the top of the mountain, there I was, Ethan Hoff, looking down on the beautifully authentic Montana backcountry. This was my favorite place I have ever been.  It was better than the Grand Canyon, or the Washington Monument, anything there was.  Among this beauty, however, lurked many dangers, the grizzly bear, mountain lions, and even more than that…

Prior to the hike, I was packing my huge bag full of snacks and clothes. We took the shuttle that went from our base camp at St Mary’s Campground to Siyeh Bend, the trailhead to the hike that made knots in my stomach. My two brothers, my Mom, and I started the hike through a rough trail, some thick woods, showing evidence that this trail was not well visited.  However, despite those difficulties, we arrived in a spot covered in millions of flowers, and trees with every color of the rainbow. In an opening, I spotted the insanely large pass, and told my younger brother, who started to complain and whine about hiking. My mom started to explain how she used to backpack and go on hikes even harder than this.  I wonder why she doesn’t anymore.  We spotted an enormous glacier that we would have to eventually pass. We had already hiked about four or five miles.  We approached the glacier crossing, knowing we were at high risk being at such high elevation, and hiking on slippery ice. However, we crossed, safe and sound.

About a mile later, we were ascending up a steep slope, and going through the pass between the two mountains. As we approached the top, it got harder and harder to breath, our footsteps got heavier and we were all panting like dogs.  At the summit, we knew  it would be about eight or nine miles down, but it would be very rewarding. We finally arrived at the summit. I looked down and… I could see the world around me. There were waterfalls in the distance. We saw the ground below covered in bright wildflowers, and the greenest of grass.  No gardener’s work could compare. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.  We took some pictures, ate lunch, and descended, sad to leave that sight. We arrived in beautiful meadows surrounded by a close mountain bowl, still seeing the enormous pass.  The descent was about 2 miles straight down, very hard on our knees.  Again, we saw about three waterfalls cascading off of the mountains.

The way back was a rugged, rocky trail that was about six or seven miles. It showed the beautiful mountain scenery. The hike led us to three small lakes, each as bright as a sapphire, almost purified water, and as clear as glass.  I would always remember this.  We persevered until we came to a notable stop. There was a huge river with a raging current, and the trail was nowhere to be seen.  My mom told me to take off my shoes and venture across to find the trail, and I did, finding the trail, soaking me and my pack almost getting wet.  My mom and brothers crossed.  My youngest brother had taken about thirty minutes to put on his shoes and socks on his wet feet, while two rugged looking backpackers decided to strip down and take a swim at this very spot.  My mom hurried my brothers and I along.  We finished up the hike and made it to the Many Glacier Lodge.  We were all exhausted. Finally, the biggest challenge was getting back into the RV, and onto the couch, even though I had just hiked seventeen miles.

In the end, I learned to respect the nature that is left on the world. Despite these beauties, I also realized that powerful things roamed these places.  I gained respect for the little things, and the biggest most predatory creatures.  A glorious mountain pass made me look on the more genuine side of nature, and not the kind from the movie.”

Ethan wrote this essay about the first time he hiked Piegan Pass, and we repeated that trip this year with Chuck and the girls.  We were equally impressed with this year’s hike.  I just love hearing their perspective about these times!  We never wonder if the “gift of experience” we have been giving our kids is better than the “stuff” we could buy instead, but his smooth adjustment to what I consider the roughest school transition has only confirmed what we already believe.  Why?  Probably because in the time when uncertainty and defining identities is most prevalent, our first-born already knows who he is… through all the experiences, he knows exactly what he loves.  Through all of his experiences in his first 12 years of life,  we know he is a self-motivated, smart, observant, happy, life-loving boy and he knows he’s a camper, Boy Scout, runner, hiker, biker, swimmer, soccer player, musician, friend, and more.  One of his first projects was to bring in some objects that could tell his class who he is.  He came home stating that many of his classmates brought in video games, etc, and said his teacher thought his (which included a national park map, boy scout neckerchief, running shoe, and more) was incredibly interesting.  The shimmers of doubt over the past few years from knowing he was different from the majority have started to fade away into a confident, happy kid who we are incredibly proud of.  This picture is from the regular Friday runs he and some of his friends take after school each week.   Boys and girls start to blend together, and what better way to do this than to do something that encourages friendship, exercise, improvement, and of course, ice cream 🙂

In this holiday season of giving, I am going to diverge from the summer for one more post in the next few days.  A few friends and I have been sharing a few Christmas ideas in light of the values in the “gift of experience,” and in case anyone is still shopping, I am going to make a  quick list of “things” that I call “Experience-Giving Gifts.”  After that, I am going to attempt to finish out our summer travel blogging before Christmas.  Stay tuned!