Black River Reunion Year 2

This year we took a different but equally rough road to black river. We also took TJ and his kids. As we bounced and bumped along in the truck, I decided that this trip was too hard on my body and the old white truck. hubby wasn't feeling well and I wondered if we should go home. He took some medicine before we descended into white river and seemed ok. As we climbed the mountains over looking the dirty of whiteriver,  I could hear the truck complain at every "NH". We finally get to the spot we are going and the kids gratefully pile out. As they are scouting around they noticed bear tracks. I didn't think it was a big deal until BIL and hubby pack the pistols and discuss how old  the tracks were.

And so we hiked down. I predicted that I would be better at the hikes than I was last year. I was disappointed and mad at myself when I didn't see much improvement. I wonder what that says about me?

BIL brought who crew and I was afraid, like always when it come to BIL , that I would end up baby sitting them.
I was wrong. But I should have. BIL seemed short tempered with them and didn't seem like he was having fun. SILE stayed home with T . K2 was disappointed but she was a trouper. His kids seemed to have fun and blow off any verbal scrubbing they got from BIL .
WE fished and fished, catching more than we did last year, but not like I thought we should have. In the end we caught about 9.

WIII was the champ of the day with the largest fish.

it was a super hard hike out, boo to me. SII was getting sick and I had no clue how he managed to hike as the leader, with a ton of fish. I was so worried about him, but could do nothing because I was so out of breath even with 6 months of working out even my 5 year old could keep up with me. The only person I could beat was B   , he didn't have the stamina to make it and started crying. I wondered if he had done anything that hard before.

On the hike out we saw fresh bear poo. The bear had been there within a few hours. I wondered if the knocking and rollling of rocks down the mountain earlier in the day was that bear. or a Sasquatch... I had ignored those noises before but my heart gave a leap as I called out to scott to throw the fish one at a time at the bear like bread crumbs to hansel and gretel if it came near us.

As we were bumping our way back to civilization, we saw a fire rise over the sky. At first I thought it was near us and prayed that we would be safe and wondered how we would save ourselves. Each time I Looked back at the smoke clouds they were bigger. One point we were higher than the fire and I could see black mixing with the white of the clouds.  I kept thinking that if we could make it to ID ranch, because of the rocks and bare ground, we would be safe. Scott told me it was on the other side of the river, it didn't' look like it. As the fire clouds plumed into the air I was Not sure he told the truth. WHen I asked him if he was for real, he said he wouldn't tell me if it was close anyway as I could do nothing about it.  But I would know because he said he wouldn't spare the truck to get away.

THe truck, our kids, and the fish made it home ok

Scott was sick for 5 days after.

 I am grateful to the Lord that he kept scott safe for the day. I couldn't have packed him out and he would have been so sick it would have been impossible to make it home.