Avery's 11th Birthday Adventure

For Avery's birthday we decided to go explore the Cascades.  We packed up the van and headed to Winthrop WA.  That area has the longest network of cross-country ski trails in the country with back country huts you can ski to.  In the summer the huts are open to either hiking or driving to them.  We decided to rent a hut and camp for a few days.  The hut we stayed in was really remote and had no electricity or running water. 

It was an adventure just to get there driving on forest service roads that weren't all that well marked.  At one point Scott had to jump out and secure our tuperware to the roof so we could get over the large ditches in the road.  

The cabin we stayed in was called Heifer hut.  We had no idea why until we got there.  It was around 9:30 at night and several cows were at the front door to greet us.  The cabin is on forest service land and farmers can get permits to allow their cattle to free range.  

The first night none of us slept well and the kids were up for the day at 4 am.  It was a really long day!

 We had fun playing many games, but connect four was their favorite.

 

 This was after a long hike up a mountain.

 Enjoying the view

 Grandma and Grandpa Davis got Avery a drone this year.  He has been asking for one for awhile and had a lot of fun learning to operate it.  

  Since the kids were up so early we had plenty of time to drive back to town and explore a little.  Winthrop is a neat town that's set up like an old western town.  There is a great museum there called the Shafer museum that shares the rich history of the methow valley.  

 Even the stools are saddles.

 One of the locals we met suggested we hike Tiffany mountain.  It was a 4.5 mile hike with a 2,000 ft elevation gain.  The hike was amazing because the wildflowers were out.  They had one of those super bloom years where the conditions were just right.  

 Even Venus made it to the top!

 Look at those wildflowers!

 Wild dog!

 

 On the way home we stopped at Diablo Lake.  It is a hydro-electric dam that supplies Seattle with power. 

 

 The kids wouldn't cooperate for a picture so Maia volunteered.

 Avery and Banana 11 years

Yearly Questions:

1.  Favorite color?  blue, yellow, red

2.  Favorite toy?  plastic knife

3.  Game?  Life and death in the forest.  They play this at Wilderness school

4.  Favorite animal?  Crow

5.  Favorite book?  Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus

6.  Favorite thing to do outside?  Wilderness Program

7.  Favorite holiday?  Christmas

8.  When I grow up I want to be a scientist inventor because I want to build robots.

9.  Favorite subject?  Reading

10.  Least favorite?  Writing

11.  If you could buy anything what would you choose?  A giant house with secret compartments and  an inventing area.

12.  What do you like about yourself?  I like to learn.

13.  What is your favorite thing to do?  Using my imagination and playing with my family.

14.  Favorite memory?  Seeing the heifers at heifer hut when we pulled up.