The capstone to our fantastic summer occurred during our trip to Hayden Lake, Idaho for a week of Family Camp at Mivoden. A gift from Steph’s folks from the previous Christmas, we had been anticipating, wondering, thinking, and planning about this trip for months.
Before the trip began, we had no idea what to expect or how to prepare. Frustratingly, numerous calls to Mivoden staff to get information went unanswered or unreturned. Finally, the day before leaving, we talked to a real, upright, alive, adult human. Ta-da! We were able to confirm rooms, discuss what we needed to bring and generally get a better sense of the plan (as well as an email regarding the week).
So, the packing began. Unlike our “real” camping trip, we didn’t have to pack food or tent supplies, so you’d think loading the car would be simple. But alas. With the car finally packed, potty used, and a general sense of where we were going, we headed out. But Steph had to stop at the outlets to buy shoes, so that added an hour. Then lunch. Then a potty stop (and we hadn’t even cleared Snoqualmie yet!). Seven hours later we arrived. Check-in was smooth, with cookies and water waiting for us. Papa and Conna had already signed us for Orange Team (what’s that???). Giant bins attached to 4-wheelers delivered our belongings up to the cabin. And so the adventure began.
Our room was a “middle” room, normally used by camp counselors I think. It had two twin-over-queen bunk beds, so could sleep 6. Cole opted to sleep above us on the upper bunk in a sleeping bag. Alex took a corner of the other queen bed. We set up beds and tried to put things away. Papa and Conna had the room next door, which had two sets of twin-over-twin beds. But..they also had a sink, and a small closet type area. Then it was off to dinner.
Evening consists of dinner and Campfire. Dinner is served in a dining hall with all campers eating together at the same time, with camp hosts dismissing tables individually to stand in line for food. We eventually learned to get in early to get a table, then let the kids play with toys we’d bring to keep them occupied while we waited for our table to be called. In this midst of this, team colors were called (in varying orders each night) to sign up for the following day’s activities. After dinner it’s off to Campfire (which to Cole’s dismay does not actually include any fire), where worship songs and a brief message (by Karl Haffner!!) closed out the day. We put kids down and went to bed.
Monday morning began bright and early (have you met our kids?!!) and work began immediately to keep them quiet and contained until breakfast was served at 8:15. After breakfast we headed to Camp Council (after finding out that no, it’s not a staff meeting, but rather it’s the morning’s version of Camp Fire. (It should be noted that when we had an opportunity to talk with the Camp Host we let him know we needed a glossary!). A goofy “news hour”, songs, and a bit of “Word” from Haffner and we were ready to start the day!
First up, the zip line! It’s quite a hike up to the line, and when you get there…well, we all paused a moment hoping we wouldn’t die. Anyway, we all (Todd, Steph, Cole, Papa, Conna) got hooked up. Cole was quiet, nervously watching others go. 
To his credit he wasn’t “afraid” – just cautious and watching. Todd went first so that he could be at the other end when Cole got there. Steph was a bit nervous, but Cole was fantastic and after his first round he was hooked!
Repeated offers to Alex all resulted in “no” – so he was a no-go on day one. After zip line, we headed down for lunch, naps, and rest. The kids played in the water in the afternoon. Late afternoon had us scheduled to go WAY up the hill for a pony ride. But, we missed the bus, so that waited for another day.
Each evening had a “big event” to attend if you wanted. Some we went to, other’s we didn’t. One was the Carnival. We ate shamburgers, then attended a “fair” where there was popcorn and ice cream, plus a wide variety of booths set up to play different games. Digging for dinosaurs in sand, tossing water balloons, 3-legged races, etc. Steph and Papa had a really run on the water balloon, until Steph’s unfortunate throw soaked him. Another evening it was the Rodeo where we watched various horseback things. Kids also got to do a 3-legged race and Cole insisted on joining. After Todd finally got him attached to another kid, the race was on! They “ran” until they got to the end of the arena which was wet and Cole got stuck in the mud. Eventually he was freed and all was well.
The days all blur together now, but a few highlights include:
- a whole family canoe ride around a small part of the lake. Kids did great! When we got back to the dock, a boy of about 8 or so asked Cole if he wanted to come with him out on a pedal boat, so the two of them headed out. Fun to see Cole playing and interacting.
- swimming in the lake with the kids. Every day we spent some time out on Mark’s boat with Brent. The kids (Cole, Alex, Karly) waited patiently while people surfed, then got to jump off the boat and swim around in the lake to cool off.
Cole and Karly riding the ‘Wasp’ out on the lake (or the Banana according to Cole & Alex).- The boys riding the ponies. Cole did two turns, but Alex was done after 1 lap around.
- Riding the disc. Mivoden has a wooden circle disc (about 3 feet diameter of 1 inch plywood). Todd lay on that while Cole perched on his back and they were towed around the lake (Todd holding on to the waterski rope). Alex also went, but sat “under” Todd on the disc.
- Todd surfing and learning the air chair / Steph crashing a LOT but eventually getting up and surfing behind the boat. (BTW: the AirChair is one of the smoothest rides you’ll ever have on a lake once you get up and going. All while sitting 4 feet above the water)
- Cole attempted to snorkel. He couldn’t figure out how to hold it in his mouth, so finally settled on having fun while he swam around with flippers on. During that time the whole family played on the large inflatable moored in the lake. Really fun.
- And Alex finally did the zip line! We went back and he seemed to feel far more brave as he got strapped up. He got connected and jumped! It was only after crossing the canyon and heading towards Mom on the other side did we hear…”All Done!”. Brave boy!
Too soon the week was winding down. Still needing a place to live, we opted to return on Friday in order to not miss a weekend of house hunting. Cole was also quite “done” with it all. His anxiety behaviors began to increase in length and intensity in direct relation to the decrease in coping skills. Both boys became “barnacles” just clinging to us by the end of the week. So, we packed up and headed out Friday afternoon, hoping for a quiet trip home. It wasn’t entirely awful, but rather one of those…”nothing you can do but laugh” …kind of trips! Within the first two hours, Alex had wet through 3 sets of clothes. Cole needed to go potty and held out until we were half way down the off-ramp to the rest area. Needless to say, poop was everywhere, including his shoes. Two naked boys eventually fell asleep and the ride was peaceful for the duration. About an hour after getting home Cole said, “It sure is good to be home. I like home the best.” Camp was a fantastic experience that we will continue to do as a family tradition, but Cole is right…home is the best.
