The Powers of Persistence and Pretend

Trip: Baker Lake Trail – Baker River to Noisy Creek camp

Date: 7/11/2017-7/12/2017

Trip Report:

There is a moment that stands out in my mind as I begin to write this. I am sitting back against a long heavy piece of white and dried out driftwood. I can hear the small wind driven waves of Baker Lake lapping against the bank, and I hear Kate’s little voice talking softly to herself as she searches for twigs to add to our fire. She is pretending to be a pioneer and I am so incredibly content. This was her first backpacking trip.

It was a long day for a little girl. We had full packs, and Kate was not used to carrying the extra 20 lbs. The hike in was 4.6 miles, and she had an absolute blast for 3 of them. From the very start of our hike we were sled dogs hauling supplies and medicine to people who were racing in the Iditarod. We were in Alaska making our way to the Klondike, and we were saving people along the way.

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At a certain point however, the thrill of new adventure and the possibilities of pretend give way to physical, emotional and mental fatigue. The rest breaks became more frequent and an unfamiliar and heavy pack starts to make for sore muscles. Morale begins to dip and all of a sudden she was done hiking. I talked to her about pushing our limits and perseverance and the rewards of working hard for something. HAHA I have to laugh at myself looking back. I’m sure it’s hard for an exhausted 7 year old to truly find value and strength from that conversation in that particular moment. All she really wanted to do was swim. She dug deep though, with only a few tears falling down her dusty cheeks. I gave her lots of Dada hugs and told her how strong she was and we finally made it to Noisy Creek camp.

Making it to camp was an immediate boost. She was so proud and so was I. We found a beautiful site right on the lake and immediately soaked weary feet in the cold water. We then hung up the hammock, and Kate relaxed while I set up the rest of camp. Kate helped with the tent.

After everything was ready we changed into suits and jumped in the lake. Well, Kate jumped, but I eased my way in through splashes and giggles. That girl would swim in ice water all day. As I was getting out, she told me that she was so cold she thought knives were digging into her skin, but she was going to ignore it.

For dinner we had dehydrated spaghetti in meat sauce with astronaut ice cream for dessert. I am happy I packed extra food, because Kate ate like a person fully grown.

After another swim and some whittling, we crawled into our sleeping bags. Kate wanted me to read to her from my adventure journal. She wanted to hear all about my experiences, and I fell asleep dreaming of all the future entries I will make with my little adventure buddy.

We woke up early and decided to break camp right after breakfast so that we could take our time on the hike out. Kate slept like a rock, but she was still pretty tired regardless. We took breaks every fifteen minutes. For the return hike we were astronauts stranded on Jupiter trying to make it back to our space rover (truck) and then back to earth (home). Our packs were our air tanks. I just love how her mind works. Again at about 3 miles she started to give in to tired and sore muscles. We played number and word games, and that kept her trudging through the next mile. She was hell bent on working through the Fibonacci Sequence as far as she could go.

With about a half mile to go the dams finally burst and my strong little girl reached the end of her endurance. I held her as she cried and cried. I told her how proud I was, and I told her how brave and strong she was. After she was all cried out, she wanted me to let go of her because I was too hot and sweaty. Apparently I was like a heater. I carried her pack for her the rest of the way back to the truck. With the weight off her shoulders she was able to enjoy the views of Baker River and the cool suspension bridge that we got to cross. In the truck, she fell asleep instantly, though she assures me that she was just resting her eyes. We stopped at Dairy Queen on the way home. She ate 3 ½ cheeseburgers and an Oreo blizzard.

Baby girl, I have been waiting to do this with you since the day I found out you were to be a part of my world. I am so proud of you, and I will remember this trip forever. I have been lucky enough to see some amazing places, and go on some unforgettable adventures. They are all shadows compared to your brilliance. Thank you for this experience.