Leo's first backpacking trip

Leo and Tom have been talking on and off about doing a backpacking trip.  They imagined something nearby with a relatively short hike to a good spot.  They hadn't made this plan a reality yet when Tom's friend Rich proposed a joint trip with his two boys.  The trip Rich suggested was quite a bit further from our house (near Yosemite), and involved a longer hike in (about three miles). Leo and Tom were up for this plan and got prepared. Leo used a rental pack from the sporting good store.  Both kids had Friday off from school for a planning day so it was the perfect time to go. 

Here he is trying it on in our driveway before heading out on Thursday afternoon. 

Some adjustments from Tom. 

Thursday night they stayed at a developed campground with bathrooms and the car just a few feet away. Rich and his boys arrived late that night.  Friday morning they registered their backcountry permit with the ranger station and headed out for the big hike. Here they are as they set out on the adventure. 

From left to right: Jacob, Rich, Eli, Tom and Leo. 
 

On Friday morning, Jacob's friend Jackson and his dad also joined the crew. Here are all the boys with Jackson on the far right. 

Off they went into the wilderness to spend two nights roughing it by a lake.  

They came home tired and dirty, but happy.  They enjoyed it a lot despite some of the hardships. Tom is an experienced backpacker, and he knew he could guide Leo through this adventure. Even though I knew this as well and I had total faith that Tom could handle just about anything that would come up, I was racked with worry pretty much the whole time.  I almost had a panic attack while they were packing up on Thursday.  Then, because they were in such a remote location, I didn't hear from them after about 6:30pm on Thursday night until Sunday late afternoon when they were finally back in cell phone range.  That's a long time to be out of communication with your child. Of course, I wouldn't be out of touch if I went with them but that won't ever happen.  This is not my kind of outing, but I'm so glad it's something they both enjoyed and can do together again in the future.