Signe Gines

King's Peak

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The trip began Fri. Sept. 5 shortly after 1:30 pm. I had been talking with Frederick about back packing with the kids and was in hopes to take my children, Tanner age 11 and Abby age 9, on their first back pack trip over labor day weekend but opted to wait for better weather and indeed, what a glorious weekend we chose to set out to summit King's Peak.

We arrived at the Henry's Fork trail head, the fourof us, Tanner and Abby Frederick Gabriel(my loyal and loving companion and myself around 4:30 pm. We ate sandwiches and chips and drank plenty of water before setting out with our packs.

The kids had never back packed before, so Frederick and I were carrying the bulk of the gear. Tanner and Abby trotted along happy and excited. It was such fun watching and listening to them babble as we hiked. Our destination was Alligator Lake nestled a short distance from the main trail. It took us a couple of hours to make the hike and found a beautiful camping spot above the lake amongst the trees. The kids were eager in setting up camp; putting up the tents, gathering firewood and pumping water. We all participated in the routine and it wasn't long until we were sitting around a nice warm fire munching on some Ramen noodles, the kids favorite!

Rising by 8:00 am the next morning, we broke camp, packed up the packs and headed for Dollar Lake, another 5 mile hike. We had great fun as we hiked together. Frederick taught the children how to read a GPS and the kids took turns being the "leader" and letting us know the distance traveled and how far to our next destination. Frederick and I took turns hiking with each child. I kept thinking there couldn't be any better quality time spent than hiking along, talking about everything from horses to insects to what is for dinner that night.

Not wanting to push the kids too hard, especially for their first trip, we hiked along slowly enjoying the company of each other. We arrived at Dollar Lake early in the afternoon. The kids were hungry and a bit edgy (hungry!) and wanted to get their packs off and set up camp. Frederick and I scouted for a good campsite, which we found. A lesson we later shared with the children that often times patience is key to finding the "perfect" camp. The wood available for fires was pretty scarce but we were able to locate a place where we would have abundant wood for the next couple of days.

The evening was pleasant. We ate my homemade chicken noodle soup which I had dehydrated and everyone ate to their filling. We played cards, laughed and finally went to bed around nine o'clock. It was going to be a big day for the kids tomorrow. A test for the kids as well as Frederick and I.

The morning came quickly. Waking up the kids and getting them ready was far easier than I had expected, especially for my daughter Abby. We were on the trail shortly after 8:00 am. The kids were absolutely amazing. The weather was incredible. Very little wind,even going over gunsight pass it was less windy than normal. The kids hiked without complaining, they were strong and showed great fortitude, especially for the long hike back to camp. Frederick was amazed at how well they did. We nick named Tanner "Dances on rocks" as he was completely agile and confident bouncing over the rocks on the way up to the summit. Abby was a little more cautious but climbed well and had no problem reaching the summit. Once on the summit, Frederick placed Tanner atop his shoulders and told Tanner he would be the person who had been at the highest on the summit. You can see by our pictures how happy we all are.

Hiking back to camp, Frederick kept the little ones entertained with stories keeping the kids from focusing on being tired or hungry! As we approached Gunsight pass, we saw mt. sheep.... my first ever. We were all ecstatic! We arrived back to camp abou 8:30... twelve hours after our beginning. Tanner and Abby ate vegetable beef soup and were so tired they could hardly keep their eyes open. Frederick and I got them nestled into their sleeping bags and as soon as their heads hit the pillow they were asleep, leaving Frederick and I to enjoy a peaceful, beautiful night by the glowing fire. (A much needed reuinion after a long but joyous day with the kids!)

This definitely was a fabulous experience for us all. It is remarkable what we learn about each other when we have no distractions and can only rely on one another.

The only discouraging part of the whole trip was the fact that there was no "book" to sign the kids name in. If anyone summits King's Peak in the near future and finds the summit book PLEASE write Tanner and Abby Gines ages 11 and 9 summited on Sept. 6 2008