Evelyn is currently settling into her first week in Boise. We dropped her off on Wednesday, and she had a large handful of new friends and a few new text groups before we headed out on Sunday. She seems to be adapting well and is getting used to the newness of everything. Her dorm has been decorated to reflect her and Nellie (her awesome roommate who moved down with her), classes began last Monday, she has been applying for jobs, and she is getting into the rhythm of college life. There have definitely been emotional ups and downs, but she is on a great trajectory! We are all rooting for her and love hearing her updates.

Before the official move, there were a lot of emotions about leaving friends and not having enough time to see everyone. During our family camp, I decided to plan a surprise party for Ev. I was shocked by how many people were able to make it a priority on such short notice! I love all of these people, and it was difficult to say goodbye knowing that they would not be coming around every week now that Ev was moving. They are a really great group of people, and I will miss their weekly drop-ins. 

Our trip to Boise was filled with activity- some of it all together, and many things where we broke into groups and did separate activities. It is nice to have a family of older kids that affords flexibility for this. 

This visit to Boise solidified for me that this town is a perfect fit for Evelyn. Before we left, she had been out with two new friend groups, had gone to a show at The Shredder (one of the many local music venues within walking distance of her dorm), was figuring out how to find climbing and ski partners, and was signing up for all the outdoor and interest clubs that the school has to offer. Boise offers a vibrant music scene, a great gym on campus, outdoor climbing within 15 minutes, Bogus Basin Ski Resort, and nearby mountains to play in. Ev is going to thrive.  

Ev's party was wonderful. Thanks to everyone who came!

Ev has a new set of wheels! Goodbye for now, Sexy Red.

Allison, Courtney, and their families came up for a day to tour the campus, see Ev's dorm, and hang out. I am excited that Ev has family who lives a quick car ride away! We had a great time together.

We enjoyed the Boise Art Museum (BAM) while we were there. Can you tell which submissions are from our family? This made me laugh.

Ev won the lottery with her dorm because her window opens up to the roof- definitely useful during college when spaces are tight!

We are excited to watch this girl spread her wings! Love you, Ev.

Have a good week!

Right now I'm sitting in an airport on my way to Boise. Evelyn and the rest of the family got there yesterday. Starting now, Ev has officially moved out of the house. That's going to be a big adjustment for everyone, but I'm going to save that post for next week. Just know that this week has had a lot of emotional highs and lows for us. I think we're all in a good place now though.

Last weekend, however, was a very nice change of pace when, for five days, we attended a "family camp" with a lot of built-in activities and very little internet or cell phone reception. All we had to do was show up and go to our assigned cabin. From there, we had all our meals served to us, lots of planned events, and lots of things to do in the down time. It was a good refresher.

Maren getting ready for the ropes course

Addy showing how to do it with no hands

I had to one-up her with the no hand thing, because I'm petty like that

Lots of water activities. And snow cones.

They had this big squishy thing in the water and Addy thought it would be a nice place to relax and read her book...until she rolled off into the water with all her clothes on. Unfortunately, not many people got to see the glory of that moment.

Turns out, Jack can be pretty dangerous with a bow and arrow. He's a pretty good aim.

It's the simple things.

They asked me to be in a skit with "twins" from camp- strangers who look alike. I have no idea who that guy is, but he looks like he could be my brother.

I think that's all I have for you this week. Have a good week!

I don't remember when we first heard about it, but there is this mountain tea house located in the heart of the Canadian Rockies that you can hike to, and it sits on a lake, and it is a little bit of a tourist thing, but at the same time it looked really lovely and like something we would enjoy as a family. It's been a long time since we first came across this, but though the trip has come up multiple times in conversation over the years, we just haven't been able to find a time to actually make it a reality.

Until now.

This last weekend was spent at Banff National Park. The weather was cool and beautiful and we did several bucket list hikes in the area. We also spent a full morning and afternoon exploring the town of Banff, browsing shops, galleries, and restaurants. It was a great trip. Here are some photos.

The Lake Agnes Tea House

The chipmunks were massive- you could tell they were used to people. "These chipmunks take the cake... literally." -Maren

Just hanging out on what seemed like the edge of the world

We stayed at this campground in Banff. The rangers there put on a show about alpine animals- we went in order to pass time, and were expecting a little info session with maybe some furs to touch or something. We've done enough of these to know what they're like. But not so at this campsite! Instead of the dry didactic spiel that we were used to, we were greeted with full-on musical theater with costumes and stage effects! Probably mostly due to how unexpected it was, this little show quickly became one of the highlights of the trip for us. 

The views were a little bit obscured by smoke, but not too much. It was breathtaking!

Picnic lunch

Beaver Tails and Poutine. Because, Canada.

A few other things from the week:

Lindsey spent a day at Silverwood with a friend

Rachel and Addy went to see a play that Addy's friend is in.

Have a good week!

Jackson's Review of our backpacking trip in the Eagle Cap Mountains:

Hello! Jackson here. So, we went up and did a backpacking trip. However, I am not going to outline the order of events which transpired, as I'm sure others will do so (ie, Dad and Lindsey). So, rather as a prequel of sorts, I fully intend to describe the scenery we observed and the atmosphere the backdrop devised. With complete disregard for societal normality, I will be speaking as if in a medieval high fantasy setting in an attempt to fully convey the beauty we beheld (And maybe with the slight intention of satiating my desire to write in this descriptive style. Notably, without the artifice of AI). To convey these sentiments from these times, I may take artistic license on some aspects of the trail, however I will try to keep it as honest as I may.  I will also use images from the trail we completed alongside photos from various works of fantasy in order to truly convey the experience. (Any photos not taken from the trail we completed will be labeled -NIH- **Not Included Here**)

To begin, we all sat in the car for four hours, and slept overnight in a campground before we made our way to the trailhead. We donned our packs for the journey ahead. We paused at the trailhead and posed for a photo as a family, after we took the photo, we set off on our grand adventure. Within a brief moment everyone in the family began to split off, as natural. Evelyn, Addy, and I at the front, the others the back. I'm not completely sure how the other's hike went, although the three of us made great time and seemed to have excellent endurance. At one point, the leading group made their way to 'The six mile meadow.' We all waited for each other and ate lunch there before trekking on. We came across  river crossing and sloshed through the fluid before gaining massive elevation. Once we arrived at the top, we set up camp. And let me tell you, it was pretty.

        

Once we all broke camp the next morning, we began the next hike, later found to be roughly a 13 mile journey through the mountains. It started casual, wonderful even. The hike was easy going, and laid back. With a personalized pace, we could go for hours. After a slight bit of work, we began to climb. As we passed through the meadows, the wonderful fragrance from each individual flower filled each nostril with an otherworldly awareness. A high point was soon reached, altitude gained with each step. As I began to gradually travel, the pine twisted to birch, weeds to a soft, arched green brush as if from the dreamscape. In the absence of fatigue, miles where gained upon the soft landscape before arching firmly upward, catching the traveler off guard. Work must be given in order to reach the full altitude, the full potential of this isolated world. After this trudge, the land angled steeply downward.

        

Woah.

        

Alas, amongst the hills a meadow may seem to be. As ye ol' traveler gains progress, thee may enter such a world as if being transported. As of all of a sudden, ye find yourself perched upon a bridge built open rocks, a stepping stone layout. placed bare beneath your eyes the forest expands in but a moment, a soft, lush grass encases the ground as if to prevent an eye upon the floor. As we progress upon the dirt pathway,  rich soil overwhelms your senses, the gentle gurgle of a lazy brook passes throughout the meadow before ducking between the trees once again. The trail traverses alongside that brook, easing into a steepened slope of an agonizing hardship. To complete this section is to crawl over the peak and tread toward the lake in desperation.

Once the lake has been reached by desperate means, the trail switches back upon itself. For a slight moment you continue to progress before the trail ducks into a subtle decline in a gradual sloping valley with sharp cliffs upon its faces. Rustling grasses and shrubbery eases itself gently up the slope and a river cascades into the valley before it lazily weaves through the grasses below. With sky as bright as a bluebird, the scenery certainly has its place. As the valley tapers and eases behind us, the cobbled path makes way to a dirt path, worn down and modern. The shrubbery seems to age 5,000 years to the modern day and we make our way back to six mile meadow. The next day we hiked back the way we came and arrived at the car, leaving the enchanting magical environment behind us

Day one- Mile one

River crossings were abundant

Our warm breakfast rock. Little did we know the frost that awaited us the next morning!

Lindsey rocks the homeless look!

I can't help but see a very centered photo of us.

The top of the pass

Fairytale meadows

Jack was awesome at the river crossings

We all did it in our very own style 😆

Monday morning was crisp to say the least!

Find a tree. Use the rope. Hang the food. It seems simple...

This guy could be find anywhere... in a sleeping bag. Whether it was early morning, or lunch stops, there he was!

The entire trip was magical. Pictures, of course, are a poor representation, but we couldn't help but take scenery images. Here are some of our favorites:

We definitely took a detour to hike to the snow, and we left our mark!

Smoke was not a big deal. The first night it added a surreal, mystical glow that can't be captured

Evelyn's Update:

Evelyn here! Last weekend I planned a trip to Revette Lake with some of my friends. We hiked in and camped, and it was a ton of fun! Many of them had never been backpacking before. 

I seriously love this so much... and they are not wrong. -Rachel

This weekend, before we left for Oregon, I got people together to make food and feed the homeless. This was my third time organizing an event like this, and it was the best turnout so far in terms of people and food, so that is pretty awesome! A lot of my friends plan on continuing these events after I leave.

Additionally, I got to job shadow Mike, who's a CRNA, which made me pretty excited about my future career. 

I drove to Missoula on a whim on Wednesday night after work to see one of Josh's shows with Poise, which was awesome, but we had to stay overnight in Wallace and I barely made it to work in time next day haha. I had a great week!

Have a good week!