2 second tent

Now this is some quick tent set up.

Wonderland Trail permits

Many of you know that Jeff and I applied for permits to backpack the 93-mile Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier.

Well, I forgot to tell you readers last week that we got our approval notice! I am pretty excited as this is not the easiest permit to obtain. We planned our route and sent in the application on March 15. That is the first day you could send them in. The rangers started reviewing the applications and granting permits to hikers on April 1. The trail is red line in the picture above.

And I'm so happy that we got our permit.

Here's what our trip looks like:

Aug. 7- Mowich Lake Camp
Aug. 8- Dick Creek Camp
Aug. 9- Sunrise Walk-in Camp
Aug. 10- Summerland Camp
Aug. 11- Maple Creek Camp
Aug. 12- Pyramid Creek Camp
Aug. 13- Klapatche Park Camp
Aug. 14- Golden Lakes Camp
Aug. 15-Mowich Lake Trailhead and out of the wild.

Check out a profile map of the trial here.

The map shows all of the elevation gains along the trail. It certainly isn't flat. That's why we have been training.

Here's what Mount Rainier National Park says about the trail:

The Wonderland Trail (WT) is 93 miles (150kms) long and encircles Mt. Rainier. It is a strenuous hike with lots of elevation gain and loss, through lowland forests and valleys and into high alpine and sub-alpine areas.

Perhaps the biggest aspect in planning to hike the Wonderland Trail is you knowing your hiking skills, abilities and habits. Rangers cannot tell you that. Nobody knows your skill level better than you. This is important when laying the foundation for your trip... selecting the proper distance between campsites. Do you live and hike primarily in mountainous terrain and climates, or lower elevation areas? Hiking on flat terrain for 93 miles is far easier than having to climb up three thousand feet with a full pack day, after day, after day. This sounds like something that should not have to be stated, but we often see hikers going beyond their skill level. This usually leads to injury, illness, misery and an early end to a long-planned trip.

Our longest day is about 15-16 miles. So not too bad, expessially with all our training.

Oh, and we'll be documenting our whole trip like we do with the training hikes. So keep watching for those.

And if the weather is nice this afternoon, we'll be going on another training hike with a video.

Bored around camp? Try this.

Today has brought another day of lovely weather to Western Washington. Thanks to the great weather my dad and I decided to start our season of Bongo Balls early. Now you may be asking what Bongo Balls is, and the answer is simple, it's a great backyard game or campground game.

Now Bongo Balls is known by many different names. While looking them up on the Internet I found all these names for the game:

Norwegian Horseshoes, Ladder Golf, Snakes, Hillbilly Golf, Polish Golf, Horseballs, Tower Ball, Bolo Golf, Gladiator, Bola, Snake Toss, BlongoBall, Ladder Toss, Bolo, Rodeo Golf, Dingle Balls, Bolo Polo, Cowboy Golf, Redneck Golf, Pocca Bolo, The Snake Game, Willy Ball, Ladder Ball, Slither, Zing-Ball, Snakes & Ladders, Hillbilly Horseshoes, Flingy Ball, Top Toss, Norwegian Golf, Monkey Bars Golf, Swedish Golf, Polish Horsehoes, Dandy Golf, Montana Golf, Lasso Golf, Australian Horseshoes, Ladder Game, Monkey Balls, Rattlerail Toss, Golfball Horseshoes, Arizona Golf Balls, Spin-It, Ball Dangle, Bolo Ball, Poor Mans Golf, Bolo Toss, even Testical Toss!

Yes, it is truly the game of a million names. Now the thing with this game is that it's easy to learn, fun to play and great for the whole family.

But before you run out to the store and buy a set for $50-$100. It is really simple to make your own for under $30. Even less if you have the stuff laying around.

Here is a great site that explains how to cut the PVC pipe and to what sizes. VIEW IT HERE.

As for the balls, you need 8 normal golf balls (four of one color and four of a different color), a drill and some rope. Drill ONE hole all the way through the golf balls. Thread the rope through and tie a knot. Measure 1-foot in length and cut it off. Put the other ball through and tie a knot on the end. Do this for all the sets.

Don't worry about the balls going together on the string, the force of the throw will keep them at the ends.

And just as there are as many different names for the game, there are a million variations of the rules. Here is a site that explains one way to play. VIEW IT HERE. While that site said each player had 3 sets of balls, we play with just 2 each.

Once everything is set up go outside and have some fun. The game is great and is sure to be a hit with everyone in the family.