Camping in the Tetons

Last weekend we headed up to Teton National Park for a camping trip with Nathan's family. I was surprised how cool it was up there, I mean it is August and I expected it to be really warm. We stayed in tent cabins and the name describes them perfectly, half is made of wood and half is made of really thick canvas. There are four bunks and a pot belly stove inside and that is basically it. Outside of the tent is a picnic table and fire pit. There was also a bathroom close by with flushing toilets, warm running water, and a place to do your dishes. Now I am not a huge fan of camping, but this is a tolerable way to camp. Our first night was pretty rough. We had everything ready to build a fire in the pot belly stove but decided to wait until it got really cold to light it. This was a mistake, because Isabelle woke up in the night and was so cold her hands were like little popsicles. Once we had the cabin warmed up, she was too awake to go back to sleep and just wanted to play. We were up with her half the night, and not such "happy campers" in the morning. I really felt bad for our neighbors in the adjoining cabin, because I know we kept them up most the night as well. It got better after the first night, we started lighting the fire before we went to bed to keep it nice and toasty and Isabelle did much better.

Alex was a huge fan of both smores and camping. She had so much fun just roaming around picking flowers and playing with all of her cousins.


On Friday we drove up to Yellowstone National Park. This park is so fascinating to me. Where else can you drive around and see steam randomly escaping from the ground and water pools boiling? We spent a lot of time at Old Faithful and visiting the old Inn. It is a really cool building with a lot of character. We attempted to see some of the other hot pots and basins, but the skies opened up and it was pouring rain, so we headed back to camp. Unfortunately, the rain followed us back to camp and that evening we were fighting the wind and rain while we fixed dinner. We ended up huddling in one of our cabins for some shelter while we ate.




Luckily, the bad weather was short lived and the following day was gorgeous. We had planned to go boating, so it worked out perfectly. We found a nice little beach to hang out on since there was not enough room for everyone on the boat at one time. We took turns going out on the boat tubing and wake boarding. Some of the older kids went first on the tube and Alex watched. I asked her if she wanted to try it and she said yes. I was so proud of her for being brave enough to try it. I went with her and although she was pretty nervous the whole time we were out there, I think she had fun.




Nathan took Izzie for a cruise around the lake on the tube too. She cried off and on, but we did manage to get a little wave from her. The tube had a tendency to tip forward when the boat stopped, and unfortunately, Nathan and Izzie fell in the water. She was only in the water for a second, but as you can imagine the cold water was a bit of a shock. Needless to say, she was really upset and she just wanted me to cuddle her in a towel for a long time after that. She was so tired in the afternoon that she passed out in a heap of towels on the beach.


The kids had a blast just playing on the rocky beach. We spent all day in the sun playing in the water. It was so much fun.

I didn't want Alex and Izzie to get the feet of their pajamas all dirty, so in the morning we would put their shoes on over their jammies and their jackets on to keep warm. They looked both cute and funny in their little get ups.

On two of the mornings there were deer only a few yards from our camp. These two deer were not afraid of us at all. They just kept eating while we snapped pictures of them.


On Sunday, we packed up and headed toward home. We stopped at String Lake for a picnic lunch and let the kids play in the water a little bit. I was done wading in the water when the kids found a leach close to the shore!


All in all it was a very fun trip and it was great to just hang out with family and make some great memories.