Weekend Recap Backpacking Style

Happy Tuesday! Now that I'm refreshed and not freaking out over the computer after I heard that he is a guru at recovering photos I'm semi relaxed that and I needed some anti itch cream for all the mosquito bites I gained over the weekend. (I'm itchy as we speak). 

If your new or haven't realized it yet, I'm a girly girl yes, but I also get down and dirty with the best of them.  Which happened to be this past weekend.  I hit up the trail head with my boyfriend and 10 other adults, 2 kids and 4 dogs for a total of 10 miles round trip, all with everything we needed on our backs and the backs of our dogs.

Still unsure of what this might entail? Here's the basic idea..

Pack up a backpacking bag with the essentials, nothing more or less, ladies you have no showers, no bathrooms, etc.. This is my pack which had my sleeping bag, mat, clothes, food, pillow, shoes, towel and other womenly things to stay clean lol.

Drake patiently waiting for our arrival.

We stopped at a waterfall along the way.. Secretly one that I've always wanted to stop and take a photo at, but never have I'm talking years I've wanted to.. Lol. 

Drake, who also has his own shoes and pack. 

The 4 of us that hiked in together, the group was in spurts.

Mommy and Drake about to start our hike in.

Smiling facing so far...

Oh snap! Jenn without makeup! Don't judge  :)  Not a single ounce of makeup made it in my pack.

There was still snow on the trail!

Drake likes to cool himself off, I laugh so much when he does this he will literally sit down and lay in every creek we come across.

Halfway through the hike about 1 hour left (total of 3 hours hike in, or 5 miles)

We stopped on the way to try and catch dinner, while we thought we were so cool to catch dinner on our way up, we sadly didn't, our friend caught a sucker fish TWICE! It was the strangest thing ever we've never seen anything like it.  So it sadly (I'm sure it was happy) was tossed back in. BUT he caught it again later that night! Ha silly fish he didn't get the worm the first time.

 Drake has a love for licking fish.. Don't know why or what it might taste like, but he likes to lick it and make sure it's tasty.  I'm sure he would have told him "Um... Dude you caught a Sucker fish not a trout."

See Drake is literally sitting in the lake cooling off.

Us fishing unsuccessfully..

But looking good while doing it! No one said you can't be fashionable while backpacking!!

Ah 1st Day Hair.. How you get so oily by day 3.

When we finally arrived at the campsite...

 Drake of course was first treated to a nice cool jump into the lake.

Doing what Drake does best! Jump!

How about those digs? This campsite has been built up by our group for the past 3 or 4 years there are about 10 seats for everyone that the men made out of rocks.

In between each seat there's even arm rests or tables to set things on.

Our home for the next two nights.

Then dinner was served, each year they boys try something new this year they hiked in frozen steaks these were Filet Mignon by the time you get to the camp they are defrosted and ready to grill.

Us Saturday morning enjoying coffee, if you can see behind me there is also a table made from logs and rocks for our Jet Boils and everything else to rest on.

 We didn't buy any new items for freeze dried food except these freeze dried Neapolitan ice cream sandwiches. If your thinking eeew.. think of Lucky Charms marshmallows that's what they taste like.

We went back down to the bigger lake to fish again on Saturday..

Me fishing (taking timer photos of myself) and unbeknown to me burning (my ears are sunburned, my arms have a funky tan and my nose is peeling) and I didn't catch ANYTHING!! Burnt for nothing! At least I could have worn my swim suit or something!

After the fishing escapade we came back to camp to find these!

Some of our friends brought along some hammocks that attach to the trees! They were super comfortable I napped there for a good hour or so on Saturday. Some people even jumped in the lake but it was alittle chilly I contemplated it but didn't want to in the end.  We ate lots of smores and ingested alot of sodium (freeze dried food has ALOT of salt) I think I might have gained 3-5 pounds in salt.. 

I woke up Sunday to find this, Drake in a shirt! He must have been cold so he had a shirt just in case..

Sunday we packed it up early and headed back.  Not without some family photos and group shots too.

Drake in his shoes! He even has socks too but we forgot them! The trail is really rough and has lots of broken up shards of rock that can really cut the paws so we make sure he's properly cared for.

Me and Drake

My honey and Drake

The whole group, I'm hit the timer button on my camera ran over to the spot then fell that's why I look so strange. That's the whole bunch! See all the doggies have backpacks and shoes too? They carry in their own food, water bowls, food bowls etc.

Us all hiking out

Overlooking the lake

If you can see it there's a blob of FISH in the water.. So that's where they were hiding!!

Here is Drake cooling himself off in the water such a cutie.

"What dad? I'm hot!"

Another creek and another cool off!

Almost done.. 

Example of really done...  

Drake took another dip in the lake after our 1 hour and 50 minute hike out a personal best for the whole group considering it takes almost 3 and a half hours to hike in.  We were exhausted and ready for a shower! We went to In N' Out burger on the way home stuffed our faces with yummy cheeseburgers! Hit the road back to Sacramento to be welcomed by 104 degree weather and no AC on at the house! I picked up my little dude from my moms where we took a quick swim and cooled off.

He missed mommy but always seems to ride in the back seat when I pick him up from my mom's.  I think he's trying to escape being left somewhere again with no idea if I was returning. 

So that was my weekend, all in all a successful trip! My pack was much lighter than last year.  I probably have about 10 mosquito bites, 3 blisters on my feet and lots of dirt under my nails.  A HUGE zit that mother nature pinned on me for apparently neglecting my face although I washed it every day with purified water.  We're home and doing it all again this Friday for the 4th of July weekend, but this time we're car camping with running water and boats!

What do you ladies think? Do you hang with the down and dirty crowd? Or are you a car camper, or not a camper at all?

I get mixed reactions and shock and awe sometimes when my friends find out I backpack but I love it! It's a good exercise and good time wrapped in one.