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By: Eli

Grasslands National Park in Canada was a bonus park for us (we weren’t planning to go there). When we drove up to Grasslands National Park and I thought it was Kentucky all over again because there was so much grass. However, right after I thought that, we spotted a humongous bison! We saw some prairie dogs on our way into the park too. After we arrived at the the Frenchman Valley Campground, Sam and I decided to give the prairie dogs names: Riko, Krodor, Beelzebub and Thaddes Von Fruity. Then we ran up a hill along side our campsite and watched the sunset. It was beautiful. After dinner we started fire and roasted some marshmallows. As the sun went down, we gazed up at the stars. We could see the Milky Way. As we sat around the fire we heard coyotes howling! The next morning, we woke up and got on the road. My favorite thing about this national park was the wild life. Prairie dogs were everywhere!     

By: Eli

Ok, before going to Yoho National Park we hiked Johnston Canyon and all the way to the ink-pots. This hike should have a do not do sign at the start. The ink-pots were just ponds basically. No not even basically, they just were ponds. After this hike I felt like Dad was like, “Now young Eli you shall die!” Then Darth Sam drastically saved me from emperor Dad with a cookie and yadda yadda you know the rest…   

The Kickinghorse Campground is where we stayed in Yoho. It was awesome. You had a circle of treeless campsites with mountains circling the campground. The campers were parked on the outer rim and in the middle, there was a grassy field. In the middle of the field there were a few rocks and under those rocks lived 7 little red squirrels, 5 babies and 2 parents. And what was the most awesome about it was that the squirrels got so close that I could pet them!  

Sadly, there is not much to write about Yoho. We only stayed 1 night there. Also, who named this place? Was it Sponge-Bob or maybe it was Jack Sparrow? Or was it named after a guy that that really liked pirates? Anyway, moving on… The next day we hiked to Takakkaw Falls. I’m not even going to guess who named that. While we were driving there we saw a huge moose but let’s get to the falls. The falls were beautiful. Dad and I hiked almost to the top and felt the mist on our skin. The view was beautiful. They are the second longest falls in Canada. My dad and I put a tiny rock onto a rock pile and scurried down to the bottom before a ranger came to tell us to get down!

Peace from the Plains of Canada. -Eli

by: Korin            

I grew up in a family that went camping. From an early age I remember fishing, hiking and of course, playing cards. I guess this is how my passion for travelling and seeing the beauty of God’s creation began. Over the years, my parents have camped all over North America. So, naturally, when Matt and I began thinking about our summer plans, I asked my mom what our family still needed to see. She urged us to visit the Canadian Rockies. 

            We were greeted in Banff National Park by a beautiful view of towering peaks and a mysterious feel as a storm had just passed. After seeing some elk along the road, finding our campsite in the Two Jack Lakeside Campground and setting up, we headed into the nearby town, also named Banff. The town was picturesque and bursting with people as we went to the visitor’s center, ran a few errands, and had dinner. The next morning, we set off on our hike to Sunshine Meadows. To get to the meadow and three alpine lakes, we took a gondola and then a chair lift up the mountain. We then had a lovely short hike down the beautiful lakes in the valley. 

            After spending a few nights in the Banff area, we headed to Johnston Canyon and hiked approximately 7 miles to the Ink Pots. Honestly, the canyon was pretty but the trail was so crowded it was anything but peaceful. Matt later compared it to a conga line. Later that night we stayed in Yoho National Park which Eli will tell you about. The following day we arrived in the Lake Louise area of Banff National Park. When we arrived, I was pretty disappointed with how crowded it was. The parking for Lake Louise and Moraine Lake was full. We learned that people were walking several miles to Lake Louise and that the shuttles were operating with a two hour wait. Furthermore, I was under the impression that our campsite in Lake Louise Campground would be within walking distance to the lake but I soon realized that it was several miles away. We headed to our campsite, set up the pop-up and had lunch. A few hours later that we learned that we were in the wrong campsite and had to move. What a day! After dinner we decided to try our luck at getting a parking spot and exploring the area a bit. We found a spot at Lake Louise and headed towards the lake. The water was a beautiful glacial green-blue with a significant mountain backdrop. We explored a bit and moved on to Moraine Lake. Here, we climbed the Rock Trail to get a view of the lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks. Despite the amount of people there, the scene was magnificent and the color of the water with the peaks in the background was astounding.

            Due to the weather, we decided to postpone our Banff hikes and head to Jasper National Park the next morning. After a two-hour car ride along the stunning Icefields Parkway, we arrived at the Columbia Icefields. We boarded a massive “Ice Explorer” all-terrain vehicle (AKA a monster truck) to a place where we could walk on, feel and drink from the Athabasca Glacier. It was extremely chilly on the glacier, but it was an incredible experience. We finished the adventure with a jaw-dropping walk along the glass floored Skywalk on the edge of a cliff!

            We woke the kids up at 5:30 AM the next morning in order to get a parking spot at Lake Louise. I wanted to complete a 12-mile loop hike which included two tea houses (tiny cafés in the middle of the mountains). I mean, who wouldn’t want to be rewarded in the middle of their hike with tea and biscuits? We arrived at the parking lot at 6:01 and snagged a spot. The parking lot was full by 6:25. After Matt made coffee and breakfast on the truck tailgate, we were on the trail! The start of the hike was tough and had significant elevation gain. We opted to do the Little Beehive lookout which brought us to a view of the lake and the next valley. We pressed onward to the first tea house and we were not disappointed. Overlooking Lake Agnes sat a quaint and charming tea house. While inside we had tea, biscuits and a homemade VEGAN apple blueberry crumble! Needless to say, Eli was ecstatic and everyone got a nice rest from the first few miles. We took the Highline Trail that connected us to the second destination: Plain of Six Glaciers. In Glacier National Park, we hiked to one glacier but this hike brought us to six at one time! It was lunchtime when we got to the second tea house and the glaciers. The tea house was nice but didn’t have as many options as the first, so we had some lemonade and snacks but followed up with our own packed sandwiches and snacks down by the viewing benches. We gazed up at the incredible view for quite a while. While we were there, a sound sort of like thunder erupted and a piece of one glacier fell off. It was spectacular. The hike finished with a crowded walk along Lake Louise. Overall, the day had been delightful and the views quite memorable. 

            Our last day in the Canadian Rockies once again began early. We wanted to hike to Consolation Lake which is located in the Lake Moraine area. We reached the parking lot at 5:58 AM and it was full! Yes. Full at 5:58 AM. We went up the road about ¾ of a mile and found a turnout that hadn’t been occupied yet, so we quickly grabbed it. The trail to Consolation Lake was nice and pretty flat which was welcomed as we were still recovering from the long hike the day before. There was a rock scramble at the end which led us to another glacial lake in a gorgeous valley. Matt and Eli fished for a bit and then we headed back to Lake Moraine. After walking along the lake, we decided it was time to beat the impending storm and head back to the pop-up. We relaxed all afternoon (some of us even took naps), Matt fished on the Bow River and we ended the night with some intense card playing!

We had to deal with some weather and significant crowds but all in all, our time in the Canadian Rockies was enjoyable. The days gave me time to reflect on my camping experiences as a child and how much my family and the surroundings influenced me as we walked along trails, fished for elusive trout and sat around countless campfires. That is what I hope these summer camping trips bring to my own kids. A sense of amazement of God’s creation. An adventurous spirit willing to walk the extra mile to see what is just beyond the bend. A family closeness that is weaved through uninterrupted conversations and experiences together.

By: Sam

Getting there was not easy, getting a campsite was not easy, but without a doubt, Glacier National Park was worth all of its trials and tribulations. Months ago, (six months to be exact) we had logged on to recreation.gov in hopes of securing a coveted campsite in Many Glacier Campground. Acquiring a Many Glacier campsite is akin to getting super bowl tickets; as soon as they become available, they sell out in less than a second. It took us a few days, but thanks to Eli’s fast fingers, we reserved six nights in Many Glacier. And that was that. We all were looking forward to our arrival in Glacier, and didn’t worry at all about our stay there.

Until Theodore Roosevelt. 

If you’ve read my previous blog post from last year’s stop at Glacier (titled: Glacier, Goats, and Bears, Oh My!), you know that there is one constant factor that is both the biggest attraction and hindrance in the park: Bears. Last year, a trail that we were on was shut down mid-hike because of bear activity (it turns out that while Grizzlies can look majestic and cute from a distance, they can maul people up close.) 

This year, the bears struck again. So really, the title of this post should be Glacier Episode V: The Bears Strike Back, or something. But I digress.

Let’s go back to Theodore Roosevelt for a second. We were driving along following a herd of Bison and enjoying the scenery, when Mom realized that she had a voicemail from the National Park Service. It was a ranger explaining that because of recent threatening bear activity in Many Glacier Campground, only hard sided trailers were currently allowed. This meant that no tents, and more importantly, no pop-ups were allowed to stay in the campground. 

We all sat in stunned silence for a minute. And then we frantically started revising our plans. Cue, Option #1: We just wouldn’t go to Glacier. Veto. We couldn’t do that. We had centered our entire summer trip around our Many Glacier campground reservation, and we had been looking forward to it for half a year! Option #2: We would forfeit our reservations in Many Glacier and camp in St. Mary Campground. Veto. Staying there meant we would have to drive at least an hour to the trails we wanted to hike. Option #3: We would just have sleep in the truck for 6 nights, as we couldn’t just give up our prized campsite.

This seemed to be our best option. That is, until Dad chose The Nuclear Option and rented us a 30-foot hard-sided trailer complete with a slide out, refrigerator, oven, and toilet. 

Alas, it’s true. We are no longer simple pop-up trailer campers. We have tasted the forbidden fruit of luxury RV camping. But we got to stay at Many Glacier Campground, so I guess the ends justify the means. 

We embarked on our first hike, Ptarmigan Tunnel, early Monday morning, hoping to complete it before the bears could shut it down. Last year, this was the hike that we couldn’t do because of bear activity, and we were determined to master it, even though it was a 13-mile round trip with a 2,700-foot elevation gain. And master it we did. For three and a half hours, we trekked up the steep trail, surrounded by white flowers that we affectionately named “bear armpits” because of their musky scent. Our legs and backs ached, but we were on a mission. Plus, the views of Ptarmigan Lake below us, and the views through the tunnel looming before us were breathtaking. 

That night, our grandparents Giga and Opa arrived in Glacier, and we spent the next day catching up and playing UNO and Monopoly. It was wonderful getting to spend time with them. We only went on a short hike that day to Apikumi Falls, and although it was beautiful, it was nothing compared to our hike the next day.

After our Sabbath hiking day, we decided to knock off another of our planned hikes: Grinnell Glacier. Although it was a ten-mile hike from our campsite, we decided to shorten it by taking a boat across Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine to the trailhead. After a pleasant boat ride with Giga and Opa, we started our march up to the glacier. The trail itself was utterly stunning, with a kaleidoscope of alpine flowers in the surrounding meadow, and with three turquoise lakes beneath us.  It was supposed to be beautiful weather, partly cloudy with a 20% of rain, and for a while it was. Until the clouds rolled in. They skulked over the mountain edge until we were completely engulfed in a dark storm. Then the sky’s swollen stomach split open, and we stood in a curtain of rain. We were two miles into our hike, with two more uphill miles till we reached the glacier, and four more miles for the return trip. But there was no way that a little bit of bad weather would slow down the Oliver family! At least, that’s what we told ourselves as it started to pour. 

However, with a healthy (or insane) dose of determination, and sturdy hiking boots, we hiked until we stood victoriously (albeit, a little soggy) at the summit. Standing next to the glacier was like entering another world. Ice floated eerily on the surface of the green glacial lake. I’m glad that I saw Grinnell Glacier, as the sheet of ice perched on the mountain is scheduled to be melted by in the next decade. That being said, if you are going to see Glacier, go now as all of its glaciers are forecasted to turn to snowfields by 2030. 

The rest of that day can be told in a single sentence: shivering, we slogged down the mountain to the boat dock, which took us to the Many Glacier Lodge, where we got hot chocolate, cozied up to a fire, and ended our freezing adventure. 

The final hikes we embarked on in Glacier was a short hike to Avalanche Lake, which brought us to a lake lined by a ridge with three waterfalls flowing from it. Eli and Dad caught cut throat trout. Mom and I ate Ritz crackers, all in all, it was a good hike. The second of the two hikes was the Highline Trail up in Logan Pass, a repeat from last summer, which I covered in last year’s blogpost (if you haven’t read Glacier, Goats, and Bears, Oh My!, now’s the time to do it.) The Highline was exactly as I remembered it, windy, wild, and bubbling to the brim with joy. We didn’t go as far as we did last year, but we went far enough to see the three waterfalls trickling down the side of the valley. The best part of the hike was the same as it was last year: the goats. Last year we saw two mountain goats, a mother and a baby right off the side of the trail. This year came with an added bonus: we actually shared the trail with a mother and her baby, and they brushed passed us on their way to the meadow. Even though we seldom repeat hikes, the Highline Trail was worth it. It is possible that the most extraordinary thing we saw in Glacier we saw on our way out of the park. We pulled over to get a closer look, at a mother Grizzly, her cub, and a random black bear, forage for food along a stream. We gazed at these three majestic predators, wary of each other (the black bear and the Grizzly kept their distances from one another), yet all coexisting in the same ecosystem. All in all, it was a great way to end our journey at Glacier National Park. I guess the bears ushered us out in the end. 

By Korin

I wanted to visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park last summer but we just couldn’t squeeze it into our trip. From everything I had researched, I thought the park would be similar to Badlands National Park and in some ways, it was. The park is divided up into three sections: North Unit, Elkhorn Ranch, South Unit. We arrived in the south unit and headed straight for the visitor’s center. We watched the park movie, went through the museum, and took a tour of Roosevelt’s Maltese Cross Cabin. We learned that Theodore Roosevelt came to the North Dakota Badlands in 1883 to hunt buffalo (bison). During his first trip he shot a buffalo, bought into a ranch, and entered the cattle business. He returned to New York, but headed back to the Badlands in 1884 to grieve and find solitude after his wife and mother died on the same day. During his presidency, Roosevelt credited his time in North Dakota as inspiring his later wilderness preservation efforts within the United States. 

After setting up the trailer and exploring the Little Missouri river behind our campsite, we searched for wildlife on the scenic loop drive. The turnouts in the park were beautiful and we soon spotted a herd of wild horses. The horses were truly magnificent creatures, they were a rainbow of colors, ranging from a midnight black and chestnut brown to a blinding white. We followed them in our car as they made their way down a hill and to a watering hole. We ended our evening with a ranger lead moonlit hike on the Wind Canyon Trail. 

In the morning, we decided to go back to the Scenic Loop Drive to look for bison. We hiked the Buck Hill trail and part of the old east entrance where we spotted a bison and a multitude of prairie dogs. We decided to press down the road to try and find more bison. Just before we got back to our campground, we saw a bison jam (it’s like a traffic jam, just with bison occupying most of the road)! A huge herd of bison was moving through the area. We pulled over and ate our lunch as the bison grazed their lunch in an adjacent field. We finished our trip to Theodore Roosevelt National Park by hiking the Painted Canyon Nature Trail in the rain. It was a beautiful, quiet and wet (it was raining) hike. 

Overall, Theodore Roosevelt National Park had great history, hiking and wildlife. The story behind the park and its namesake, President Roosevelt was extremely interesting. The hillsides were full of beautiful green grasses and yellow clover. We were able to spot several wild animals including: wild horses, bison, prairie rattle snakes, frogs, sage grouse, bunnies and bats. The park was not easy to get to but was definitely worth seeing!

By: Eli

My parents took me to the newest National Park: Indiana Sand Dunes. The park was a surprise to me. When I first saw it, I thought it was just a beach but then I turned to my right side and there was a colossal mountain of sand. The sand was warm and softer than any other sand I have ever felt. After Sam and I rode our scooters to the beach from the campground, we walked up the dune. We took a selfie with Lake Michigan and the sunset in the background. Right under the sun you could see the buildings from Chicago.

Here is what I did while I was at the Indiana Sand Dunes National Park:

1. I ran down a sand dune as fast as I could and had a major wipeout. 

2. I swam in Lake Michigan. The water was very clear! 

3. I went up an extremely steep sand dune and slid down. My mom and my sister were freaking out (they were having flashbacks of Gunnison), but my dad cheered me on. I climbed back up and went back down another time.

4. I went into the water and after 15 minutes I finally was able to push my dad in the water after he had thrown me into the water multiple times.

5. I celebrated my victory with a Pop-tart back at the trailer.

There were several things I enjoyed while at the park. I liked pushing my dad into the water. I also liked rolling down the sand dune with my dad and my dad rolling over me. I liked being crushed and getting a mouthful of sand, (I didn’t enjoy being crushed, but let’s look at the bright side, I definitely got the feel of the land.)

I would DEFINITELY go to this park with your kids, just make sure you go to the beach. It might not seem as good as other national parks but it is DEFINITELY one of the best parks for family fun.

Peace from the Old-Man Camper,

Eli Oliver