I always have a really great story when my husband is around...

Today we planned on doing this hike it sounded pretty, not too far away, or too difficult, and also had the added benefit of being dog friendly. So we packed some snacks, water, and piled all the kids and the dog into the car and head out on our merry way.  Thankfully it looked like the rain would hold off.
  As we take the turn off of the main road to drive up to the trail head, the road changed from paved to gravel, 9 miles up a narrow winding gravel road (click here,to see a topographical map). Suddelnly we noticed a distcintive smell...the poor little puppy got car sick.  Sadly there was nothing we could do right at that moment so we kept on driving, knowing we would have a mess at the top of the hill.  As we contined to drive further up the mountain the kids started excitedly pointing out all the snow on the side of the road. Only it wasn't limited to the side of the road.  As we rounded a bend we came across some snow on the road.  It didn't look to deep, and being from Minnesota we decided to drive right through. That, my friends, was our mistake. The next pile of snow was even bigger, and we decided that we would not be able to make it all the way to the top.  So we reversed down a little way hoping to turn around. But.We.Got.Stuck. Very very stuck.  8 miles up the side of a mountain, with a puke covered dog, 4 kids, and only enough gear (snacks, water and diapers) for a day hike.  Luckily it was still early in the day.

  So, Dominic assessed the situation and tried to make a ramp to get us out of the rut.  I grabbed the dog and used the snow to try and clean him up.  Eventually I put the dog back in the car and took the kids out. The boys had a blast playing in the little bit of snow on the hillside and eating a small picnic lunch.  While Dominic and I realized that we were not going to get the surfmoblie out ourselves and were trying to figure out what to do next.  It was decided the best option was walking down the mountain.  
    We saw some campers on our way in and we were hoping the could use a truck to help pull us out, or give us a ride to a local gas station where we could call for a tow. So, we grabbed some gear, threw the two little's into backpack carriers and started our walk in the mountains.  Not originally as we planned, but still, a walk together as a family in one of the most beautiful places on earth.  Other than the whole car situation, we didn't have much to complain about. I was glad the boys and I had been walking for an hour every day since we got the puppy so I knew we could get at least halfway down with out hearing any complaining.  (We were estimating a 2 hour walk down hill).  Finnigan had a great time finding all sorts of "treasures" along the roadway and storing them in his pockets for later.  
  About 20 minutes into our walk down the mountain, a Honda civic was coming up. We explained our situation to them, and they felt bad that they couldn't help and continued on their way up the hill, asking us how much further up the trailhead was (?) So we kept on walking.  A little further down the road a huge (Ford F-150) truck with two young me came downhill, they had passed our van and wondered if they could help us out.  Hooray for the kindness of strangers. So, Dominic climbed in with them and I took the kids and the pooch a little further down hill to a small campsite where we passed the time praying they would get the car out, looking for bugs and 4-leaf clovers. In what seemed a short amount of time Dominic was back down to us in our previously stranded surfmobile, and just in time as it was starting to rain. So we drove the rest of the way down the hill and spent the afternoon in the cute town of Elbe talking to some "Uncivil War Reenactment" fellows, and enjoying some fresh Rainier cherries and a delicious warm coffee.

  It was not the day we thought we would have when we set out in the morning, but our motto for the day was "Make the best of what you have" and we sure did.  Other than a few moments of stress trying to figure out how we were going to solve the situation we had a great time.
  So, here are the highlights and lessons learned from all of us who can speak.

Dominic: His favorite part was getting the van pulled out of the snow.  The lesson he learned: Sometimes you really need to ask for help, but sometimes there are people out there who are not willing to lend a hand.  He also decided he will now buy a tow chain to keep in his truck just in case someone ever needs help like we did.

Liam: His favorite part was eating cherries when we were off the mountain. And he learned a lot about the different types of cannon balls and when and where you would use them when we talked with the Civil War guys.

Finnigan: His favorite part was playing in the snow, and he learned it is important to get out of the rain.

Seamus: His favorite part was running, and he learned how to fall in the snow.

Me, my favorite part was walking down the mountain, it wasn't how we planned it, but I enjoyed it all the same, and I learned that the dog does not do well on gravel roads.

So there you have it, our big adventure for the day.