Roughing it in the Rockies

It was survival of the fittest for the Cat mining crew as they took part in an extreme team building adventure. Dayven's boss, Matt, organized a boys' camping trip in the Rocky Mountains. The plan was for the seven of them to ride their off road vehicles up into the mountains to a campsite that Matt had previously scouted out to spend the night.

They parked their cars outside of Jasper and loaded all their gear on to the back of their quads. The ride up wasn't too bad. It took about two hours and took them through a small stream (a little more wet for Dayven on his dirtbike) and along a rocky trail. It was cold and cloudy and there were some mild snow flurries on the ride up. By the time they made it to camp, the snow was really coming down. They set up a tarp for some covering and started drinking to warm up. They cooked steaks for dinner and huddled around the fire drinking scotch to stay warm.

In the middle of the night, they heard a really loud noise and a ripping sound. Fearing it was a bear or some other wild animal, they just hunkered down in their sleeping bags and went back to sleep. The next morning, the woke to about a foot and a half of snow and panic set in. The noise they heard in the night was the sound of the tarp ripping under the weight of all the snow. Their vehicles were completely covered in snow and the trail was no longer visible. Their GPS didn't work and they had no cell coverage so they were left to rely on their instincts, like their own version of Survivorman! They dug their gear and vehicles out of the snow and started searching for the trail. After breaking through a couple of large snow drifts, they got headed in the right direction. Although the ride took about two hours going in, it took them over four hours to get out. Dayven's dirt bike couldn't get through the snow drifts so they strapped it to the back of the side-by-side.

They were glad to be home, have a hot shower and snuggle into a warm bed. As the regaled us with tales of their adventure, we realized how lucky they were to have made it out ok. They were contemplating staying put another night to wait it out in hopes that the snow would melt a little.

Check out Marta and Charlie's blog for more photos. 

The ride up...

Trying to warm up after a long, cold ride.

The drinks are flowing so their moods are improving...

Trying to figure out their options the next morning...

Matt clearing off his quad.

 
Dayven and Charlie's two-man tent was tight quarters once the snow started drifting around it.

While the boys were out fighting for their lives in the snowy wilderness, Marta and I were safe at home with the kids. Wyatt loves Aniela and had been looking forward to her visit all week. We filled our days with kid-filled activities, a coffee date with the other Cat wives, and even a Chuck E Cheese dinner outing with Dorothy, Marianne and their kids one night.

Poor Wyatt came down with a flu bug Friday night. Both kids were freshly bathed and in their PJs. I had just settled Hadley into the bean bag so Wyatt and I could read our bedtime stories. Midway through our last story, Wyatt told me he needed to get down off my lap and there was barely a hiccup of a warning before the fire hose started spewing. It shot straight out and I watched in shock/horror as it completely soaked Hadley, who was peacefully sleeping in the bean bag. It just kept coming and saturated the carpet too as I raced him to the bathroom. I stripped him down, cleaned him up and got him settled back in bed. I had barely dragged the bean bag with Hadley (still sleeping) out into the hall before he started throwing up in his bed. I stripped his sheets and him (again) and started the cleanup process again. The worst seemed to be over and I got him to sleep, then put Hadley back in the bathtub to clean her up. I was so thankful to have Marta here to help me. She put Hadley to bed while I finished scrubbing the carpet. Why do the kids always get sick when Dayven is gone?

We were discussing how we're always home taking care of kids while the boys are out having fun adventures. Can you say "Girls' Spa Weekend"? I think we've earned it. It just makes me realize how much I appreciate Dayven and how much I really need him around. We were all glad when the daddies came back home!

Aniela loved the Jet Pack Adventure game at Chuck E Cheese as much as the boys.

If you hear screaming, followed by maniacal laughing, you should probably go check on the 3-year-olds you have left unsupervised in the basement...

This was once a very organized toy room.

Wyatt and Josh go pretend camping in the basement...