Weekend With Three Nephews

Last Friday and Saturday, I had three of my nephews over, aged 9, 7 and 6. We had a great time.

I over planned the time. The first thing on our agenda was to go on a round trip five mile hike to Carbon Glacier along Carbon River in Mt Rainier National Park. It is about an hour drive from their parents house.

This is a hike I took many times as a kid and a few times as an adult. It has been over ten years since being up there.

I didn't check the conditions before leaving (I am a guy) so didn't realize that the spring rains and flooding of Carbon River had washed out the road and most of the former trail.

Instead we parked at the ranger station at the entrance to the park. We chose to hike to a waterfall 3.7 miles up the road. Thinking the trail is flat and follows mainly the road I thought "no problem". Little did I realize small bodies have a little trouble with this distance (7.4 miles).

Joel, the seven year old brought his own pack. He was well prepared for he had a lot in there. When I asked why he had a library book and a Dr Seuss book from home, he said "I brought them in case I got bored".

The start of Mt Rainier is out of this picture on the right. It is one of those situations that you are too close to see much of the Mountain anyway.

These makeshift log bridges, made by the Rangers, were our method of getting over Carbon River. We had to go over four of these to get to the base of the waterfall. Every winter these log bridges get washed away and they build new ones in the spring.

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The water running in this river is Glacier fed and looks like a mixture of 1/2 chocolate milk and 1/2 water. The water was probably 34 degrees. Walking across this bridges, with the cold from the river and the heat from the sun, gave you that feeling you get walking from the parking lot into an air conditioned mall on a hot summer day.

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One of the boys panicked on the third bridge so we headed back; we saw the water fall from a distance. Nathan, the nine year old, took my big pack and the other boy took the small pack and I carried a 53 lb boy across three bridges.
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Then we headed back. The younger two started whining about the distance. Five minutes each on Uncle Otto's back and we made it back to the car. Then off to McDonald's in Enumclaw WA.

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We then headed to, a closer to home, "drive to" waterfall, Snoqualmie Falls. They wanted to go down the trail to the base and Uncle Otto deferred for another time.

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We then headed home for Croquet and basketball. It was the first time they had played croquet and the rules seemed strange to them.

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We then shot baskets on a 6' 6'" hoop in my driveway. Then Apples to Apples before going to bed. Dale hasn't learned to read yet so he chose not to play. His brothers says he usually throws cards in blind and ends up winning.

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One of the boys was extra clean that evening. I think he drained the city water tank with this one shower.

Saturday we went Putt-Putt golfing next to a country club. The night before some prankster put dish soap in the decorative waterfall and stream running through the course. There was white bubble foam everywhere. A couple times we had to run back to the club house to get new balls for the foam covered anything close to the stream. I have lost golf balls before but never in foam.

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We had a territorial view of Lake Washington, Mercer Island and downtown Seattle as we hit golf balls on an 18 hole grass putt-putt greens. There were no wind mills at this Putt-Putt facility.

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I didn't know one of the boys was left handed until he attempted to use the back side of the putter. Back to the club house we went for a "lefty" club.

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They had trouble with "the farthest from the pin hits first" rule. They felt that whoever hit the best shot should go next. We finally got that rule under control.

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One of the boys was having the most trouble with this game, he even once pounded his putter into the ground in frustrations. I gave him a warning and he settled down. Like a typical golfer he finally hit a great shot on hole 15 and then said, "I am pretty good at this".

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Another trip to McDonald's and then off to the "Kung Fu Panda" Movie. At about three that afternoon, they were back to their parents and their sisters.

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Things I heard all weekend:

"It's my turn"

"Can we eat at McDonald's again?"

"Can I have this?"

"Can I wind up the Grandfather clock?"

"You look like our dad".

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One time comments:

"Can I pee in the shower?"

"Can we climb out your sun roof?"

"Why do you have the same last name as us?"

"You're too old to get married"

"Don't you have any bubble gum toothpaste? This adult toothpaste tastes terrible"

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This past week, I think my brother and sister-in-law are tired of hearing about their son's "Uncle Otto" weekend.

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Uncle Otto took a few days to rest up from this weekend.