Real Talk- Fall Break - Bears Oh My! (And Also Bribery)

So I shared photos from fall break a few weeks ago on my personal FB page... but what I didn't share was the story.  😉

I pick the locations for all our vacations (though my privileges my now be revoked).  I ended up picking Picket CCC Memorial State Park. The photos on Google Maps were just breathtaking. Waterfalls,hiking, camping what's not to love?

Bears! That's right... you heard me. Apparently/this place is a bear stomping ground. Just before we were getting ready to go, I reviewed info about the campsite and noticed a suspicious amount of conversation about bears. But I'd already paid for a spot at the campsite and also I really wanted to see this super gorgeous place!

OK so fast-forward to our arrival. There isn't any WiFi or cell service (I know first world problems). But I'll tell you what WAS there... signs on every single table in the campsite regarding how to avoid bears. 😮Now I'm skeert. 

After we ate our gourmet dinner of bologna sandwiches (the wood was too wet to get the fire going) we decided to retire to our tent. It was possibly the WORST sleep I've ever gotten (including when the boys were newborns). I think every snapping twig, falling walnut... gust of wind had me waking up on an hourly basis fearing for my life. I can't tell you how many times I elbowed The Assistant in the side with a "Did you just hear that?"

So we lived through the night and woke up wired from having been consumed with fear the night before. We readied ourselves for our day, did a little exploring in the area then took a drive to a place we could put our little boat in the water. Later on we came back to enjoy the delicacy of chard hot dogs (if it ain't burnt I don't want it) and smores.

We retired to our tent and slept the night away (by that I mean we only woke up every other hour in fear for our lives instead of every hour). The next morning I trudged to the showers. I mean the only thing keeping me going at this point was that I smelled good (hopefully not enough to entice the bears) and felt clean because I always bring some of my bath and body products with me when I travel... even if it's to my death...

Anywho the next morning we went to the Ladder Trail... turns out we had to climb some ladders while we were there (so the name was quite literal). Well, we couldn't figure out how to get to the second part of the Ladder Trail (which was breathtaking) so we ended up on the Dreaded Trail That Must Not Be Named. We will call it the Dreaded Trail for short.

The Dreaded Trail was almost 8 miles long. Our first mistake. The very beginning of the trail, had a "bear proof" trash can and a "warning message" (they didn't call it that I'm calling it that). More warnings about bears? Should we go in and risk certain death? Oh sure that sounds great! Anywho, we walked and saw... then we saw and walked. One uphill battle after another (literally) and no end in sight! 

So after what felt like hours upon hours, I determined that we were totally going to die there. OMG! Nothing dramatic to see here folks! The Assistant insisted that I pull myself together (I was surprised he didn't grab my collar and shake me...I would've had it coming). Moving on, fast-forward an hour and we come rushing out of the Dreaded Trail, never so happy to see a highway or road in our lives. We stumble back to our campsites, because we foolishly left our car and had to walk (in my case hobble) ALL THE WAY BACK. We were scheduled to be there one more night, decided we'd had enough, packed up and left. NO more living in fear!

Moral of the story, vacations create great memories and don't get eaten by bears. Here are a handful of photos we took while we were there (the rest wouldn't download 🙄). 

Since you made it this far, I thank you for allowing me to share a little moment in time of our lives and putting up with my dramatic escapades. Here's 20% off your next purchase use code NED9801NTQE3. If you spend $60+ you also get free shipping!

Until Next Time,

The Soap Witch.