kids

After many months of outdoor adventure we took an opportunity to finish off this indoor adventure project. We started our bouldering wall a while ago, but this weekend was a weekend in (due to rain) and we made a lot of progress.

The kits came with a tool to attach the holds, as well as the bolts and T-Nuts. So we were able to get right in and start working. I did manage to snap the too into its two allan key parts. It meant a little more work, but I was able to finish the project as is.

We mixed in another pack of natural rock holds too to give us a mixed look.

Our goal was to mix up the holds in a way that made it more challenging and offered easier and harder routes. In the end it was a success.

There is enough variety that the kids can get up and navigate around the wall, while still challenging themselves (and us) with some much more difficult holds.

All in all it was a huge success. We used super-thick winter sleeping bags as padding below the wall. Matresses and crash pads are also suggested.

It was an awesome project and based on our experience we’d recommend it to anyone. It will be especially useful to burn off kids’ energy in the winter months.

By Naomi Osborn (Ms. Adventure)

Murtle Lake is North America’s largest kayak-and-canoe-only lake. I like that. It’s quieter. It’s safer. It’s cleaner. It’s a little brag-worthy. 🙂

It’s more than that.

Canoeing is to me like slipping into a sanctuary; in pushing off from the shore I can almost feel all the cares and worries wash off my face and drop into perspective below in the deep water.

Life is simplified. Meditation feels easy. Hard work is good. Food tastes better.

We were a bit nervous at first about this trip, though.

After all, the ratio was 2 adults, 3 teenagers, and 4 kids.

There were three canoes, three tents, three nights, three hot dinners to make, three duffle bags jammed full of food and kitchen items alone, and three teenagers with trusting parents waiting for them at home.

Just one portage and then it’s plain sailing paddling!

We had paddled just 1.6 KM the first day when we pulled off to the first group site; a storm had billowed up and the lake was choppy. None of us had slept more than 3 hours the previous night, so we just cuddled up and pretended we were Voyageurs under our canoes for the afternoon.

The next day was still peeping around clouds and sighing wind over the waves, but we went 20.5 KM that day.

Fresh fried fish and sushi for dinner! And then, for those bold enough to venture not just from city’s shelter, but from the cozy warmth of a well-earned sleeping bag (not me), an endlessly starry sky to feast upon (apparently).

Saturday bloomed beautifully over the glassy mirror of the lake. At the north end of the lake, Murtle Beach, an earnest committee of hungry mosquitoes welcomed us as we celebrated our trip’s halfway point.

While the mozzies snacked on us, we snacked on handfuls of these little wilderness candies:

After paddling 23 KM, we made it back to the south end of the lake. Pizza night!

Click here for the recipe! Deconstructed Pizza.

See that photo below? This is real beauty.

Sunday was a leisurely 8 KM back to the launching site, the three food bags emptied, three garbage bags filled, and all the kids accounted for.

While not as carefree as it would have been had we traipsed the lake alone, every ache in my arms felt good, even after all the laundry was done.

Thank you to my kids, especially the oldest, who can now paddle with Daddy in her own canoe. Well done!

Thank you to my other three for enjoying the ride and eating an impressive amount of candy and berries.

Thank you to G, M, and N for joining our family and willingly pulling their own weight at the paddle, portage, tent pitching, and pots and pans!

M – thank you for a perfectly spiced, perfectly crisped trout treat!

G – that portage out was really something. Thank you.

N – Thanks for all the quiet quips! (And for not losing your toe.)

Thank you, too, to the Murtle Lake Park Operators! The campsites are beautifully appointed and idyllically rustic, and the speedboat regularly coming by was a peace of mind for this mama!

Thank you for oohing and aahing over our daughter’s catch!

Our route and camping sites.

Just five minutes south of Revelstoke, BC we found an awesome day hike that took us through temperate rainforest to multiple waterfalls and even a beach. We had an awesome, adventure filled family hike and we’ll definitely be going back.

The Begbie Falls area is at the end of a logging road that offers many side trails for mountain bikers, hikers and climbers, but the real highlight for us was the falls.

There are two parking lots. The first is about 2.3 km from the actual Recreation site and the other is about 50 yards from the upper falls. We chose the farther parking area and hiked down the logging road with the kids.

There was plenty of exploration and discovery and we were treated with some amazing views of the snow covered peaks.

The falls themselves were flowing strongly with the spring run-off, but the trails were surprisingly mud-free. The kids were running around looking for sticks and laughing in the roar of the river.

The lower falls trail led us zig-zagging down the hillside and just about to the level of the main river that leads into Upper Arrow Lakes. There’s a safe lookout which seemed like a good photo op.

From there we headed out to the sandbar on the river. We encountered a few campers on the beach, but managed to find a private area for the kids. Lunch was spent with more splashing, exploration and obligatory races with the kids.

We can’t wait to go back again in the summer when the wild flowers and wild berries are in full bloom.

On a recent tour of garage sales in our area, we found this little treasure: A DIY Bottle Catamaran kit. At $3 I figured it’d make a great spring project for my son and I to work on. Typically these things retails for $15 on amazon so it was a steal, especially as it was new in box.

From a company called 4M, this kit makes use of your empty pop bottles for the floats of the catamaran. It’s a neat concept, and one of many “Green Science” kits available.

Aside from the bottles, the kit includes everything you need to make the watercraft. The majority of the components are made of lightweight plastic that are assembled with Philips screws.

The kit is designed for 8 years and up, so there’s no need for soldering. My 6 year old son was able to do pretty much all the work himself.

Instructions are straightforward and were easy to follow.

The concept was cleverly simple. The floats attach via the lids to the bottles and two zap-straps to hold the back on. It really was a simple and rewarding build.

In no time at all we were up and running. I expected it to sit in the water and disappoint, but when we put it in the tub it picked up speed pretty well. Don’t get me wrong, you’re not going to break any records, but it can move. We can’t wait to try it out in a bigger pond.

Take a look at the video above to see the build and check out the kits available on amazon.

 

The kids rushed out again to explore, while the adults chatted and packed up camp. We headed back through the woods and out to the lake as I clung on to the sled as we sped back through the now falling snow. I was already reminiscing about the constant smiling of my son during the adventure and I wondered if I should revisit the idea of having our own a canvas tent. Maybe there would be money in the budget if we just looked a bit harder for it.