Husband and wife bonding

When I told Rodd I needed to burn calories this week for my biggest loser competition...he got excited and planned a backpacking one night trip for us. After a mud run and after ice skating with my girls 

we headed out to chiquito falls trail in traubuco canyon off Ortega hwy. as we were leaving San Diego the sky looked like a fire had broken out.

It was about a 2 hour drive and I loved the view

We had to stop to take it all in

When we finally arrived unrealized the pack was a lot heavier then I remember. The first 4 miles was being hiked on day 1(sat) and it clearly became clear to me that this trail was a strenuous trail for sure. 

I was winded and struggling plus I wore the wrong socks and got bad blisters. Thank goodness Rodd is a scout within and had some mole skin. We got lost and come nightfall we're walking back to a spot we found earlier that seemed decent to campout on. Dinner time was very much needed. Energy levels were low and I was ready to shut down for the night. 

Good thing dinner only takes 8 minutes

We had no service so good night to my kids was not happening I was bummed. Late in the evening I guess the wind was just right and Rodd was able to text with Gabe and Dante to make sure all was good. We got this message:

"A police officer came and said they found the truck, they asked for your phone number so they could see if you were lost so they might be calling you"

What! We parked in the right spot. Oh no we may get a ticket or worse our car towed ugh! Then I turned to rodd are you sure backpacking is allowed? Of course it is Rodd is such a rule follower when it comes to these things. Oh well we will figure it out in the AM. Good thing I slept through most of this and really hears about it in the AM wee hours. 

I woke up to this view

It was very relaxing. There is something to being in nature alone and out of the hustle and bustle of life. This is so rewarding after hiking for so long the night before. The negative side we got so desperate to pitch our tent we ended up on a slant. That means a good night sleep was not in the forecast. My back aches! Good thing I get to see the chiropractor on Monday. 

We hung out till a more decent time to rise and started to make breakfast. 

Rodd does all the planning and cooking and he is amazing at it. Eggs, bacon and cheese with a flour tortilla equals delish! Although everything is good when your camping

When we run out of things to talk about guess its time to pack up and head out. There is a thrill in taking and carrying everything you need to survive on. Plus we follow the outdoor code and leave nothing behind except our pee HA! 

All packed up and ready to head back. Not sure how far or how long as we are in an area with no service. We really need a satellite GPS for these trips we decided. This whole getting lost not sure where we are thing is getting old. Although the thrill of exploration is pretty neat too. I am torn HA!

As we were inning back up the hill the closer we get to road the more trash we come upon. This is probably the most unique piece of trash we have found. 

On our way out we climbed down the canyon to the dey waterfalls and came across some rock climbers...thinking new adventure of rock climbing would be awesome!

Well our car was still there and no ticket was placed so we should be good. We stopped at the candy store across the street to take a photo that totally gets me into the Halloween spirit.