My VERY FAVORITE DAY so far this winter, was Civil Rights day when the kids were out of school, and we packed everyone up to the cabin to go sledding.
We haven’t been to the cabin in the winter. We weren’t really sure how it would go. There would be no running water, no toilet. We’d have to start a fire to get some heat. We’d have to pack in our food. The kids would have to walk from the lower parking lot up the hill to the cabin . . .
But it was GREAT!!!! GREAT!!!!!
The big kids walked in no problem. The little ones we just pulled on the sleds, along with the food and water we brought. It’s only like a block from the parking lot to the cabin, so it wasn’t a big deal.
Wyatt went up with Olivia and Calvin a little before I went up with the little ones. He already had the cabin warm by the time I got there. We made a Bucket-Toilet in the fall and left it in the bathroom ready for if we went up in the winter. It worked just fine. (Every child had their turn trying it out). We had Chili and Fritos for lunch, and the Fritos and other various snacks were already packed away at the cabin, so we didn’t even have to bring those.
But the best part was the sledding.
In the canyon, in winter with a thick layer of snow . . . the earth is SOOOOOO Silent. You couldn’t hear anything except our own voices, our own laughter of the day. It was magical!
And the kids had so much fun sledding. Our cabin is on a hill, so we sled down the drive way, and down the road above the cabin and the road below the cabin. There was even one section of forest that must have a utility below it because all the trees are hewn down. We hiked up it and sled down (very brave, for that was the steepest, longest part).
After we were done, and our winter gear was soaked through, we went in and hung our wet things over the fire place to dry, and watched “The Brave Little Toaster” on VHS. Finally it was time to pack up and come home. But it was such a fun day to spend with just the kiddos and us – no distractions, no busyness, just us sledding in a silent forest.