Backpacking with kids to Lower Twin Lake
With my wife out of town, Jack, Nate, and I headed out for a one night backpacking trip to Lower Twin Lake (in Oregon’s Mt Hood National Forest). This was Nate’s (5 years old) first, and Jack’s (7 years old) second, backpacking trip. We parked at the Frog Lake Sno-Park and began our two mile hike in. I tried to have the boys carry their own sleeping bags, in small backpacks, but I ended up as the pack mule. The grade was fairly gentle.
Once we reached Lower Twin Lake, we circled the lake to scout out our campsite options, adding about another mile to our hike. There was a rope swing next to the lake. We didn’t try it. We found a great campsite which was not too far from the main trail. Our site had a large firepit with logs to sit on. There were a few mosquitoes, but it wasn’t bad. After we set up the tent, we tried our hand at fishing, but caught only snags and debris. We also managed to lose a bobber.
We moved on to collecting firewood. The handsaw saved the day again (a recurring theme on this blog, I know). We built a large fire and had dinner. Mountain House beef stroganoff was a hit with the boys. After dinner, we roasted marsh mellows and experimented with burning moss, pinecones, and other random forest items.
Later that night, after the boys went to sleep, I enjoyed some wine and browsed the interwebs (there was excellent cell service at the lake). Because we were there on a Wednesday night, we mostly had the lake to ourselves, with one one other party camping there.
It got pretty cold overnight, and the kids’ sleeping bag was not warm enough for Nate, so he took over mine at some point when I stepped out of the tent. I ended up with his bag, which did not make for a good night of sleep. Lesson learned – do NOT buy kids sized sleeping bags (or sleeping pads). I highly recommend getting zero degree mummy bags. You can always unzip them if it’s too hot. My zero degree Marmot Never Summer bag has kept me warm on many trips, including climbs on Hood, Shasta and Rainier.
The mosquitoes were out in force in the morning! We abandoned any ideas of breakfast or loitering, and quickly packed up. On our way out, we stashed our backpacks and booked it to Upper Twin Lake. This lake is smaller than Lower Twin, and less desirable. We hiked around the lake and found some strange abandoned items, including a grill for a firepit. There were no campers.
Once we made it back to the car, we drove over to Frog Lake and checked out the thousands (probably tens of thousands) of tadpoles. It was cool to see (and a little gross). The boys were fascinated.
Lower Twin Lake is a great first backpacking trip for kids, especially if you can go during the week.
