East Clear Creek Backpack

September 2006

East Clear Creek is always one of our favorite trips and this year was no exception! We had our largest group ever and the weather was great! A little too cold for swimming but perfect for crawdad catching or exploring or hiking or relaxing under a pine tree.

Mr. McCormick and Mr. Pendleton were the birthday kings on Friday night and we celebrated at the camp site with brownies and cobbler! Happy Birthday to Mr. McCormick and also to Mr. Pendleton!

Half the group got an early start to hike down and start setting up camp - most of our group on this trip was visiting East Clear Creek for the first time

Travis and Alex explore down by the creek and find some tracks from the Mogollon Monster - I don't think you'll catch him with those nets, boys!

Crikeys! It's the crawdad hunters!

Looks like dinner!

Here's something you don't see very often - Mr. Kotsovolos sitting down relaxing!!

Here's something you do see very often - the Powdered Milk patrol sitting down relaxing!

And here's something you never see - Mr. Moreash on a campout!

Some of the adults decide to hike up to Horse Crossing to explore and look for a geocache. Be careful, Tim, I hear it's slippery in that spot!

We found it! It's a fly fishing geocache called "Horsefly."

Back at camp, the boys are starting to think about dinner.. it must be time to build a fire!

It looks like Chris has something red and lumpy..

And the Orsinos have some yummy freeze-dried stuff..

And Mr. Kiefer is cooking something round and brown - I wonder if he found it near those tracks..

Mr. Meiers is having some hot white stuff with brown things in it

Now, that looks tasty -- I think I'll eat with Nick!

Looks like Mr. K has been shopping at Trader Joe's!

Mountain House for the McCormicks and the Wests - and Conner is going to cook the animal that he made that sweater out of.

And for Travis and Alex - but I think Michael just brought a stick of gum for dinner.

Top Ramen for Augie and Ian - original!!

Nope, this is where I'm going to eat - Mike and Debi and Bob are having tri-tip steaks with mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables... now that's some good camp vittles!

Mr. Kiefer, I think your dessert is almost done!

The boys built a great campfire and then entertained us with many, many, many, many skits.

Brrrr... Sunday morning we wake up to a very, very cold morning and some great stories about things that dig tunnels in the night! After breakfast we pack up and hike back out of the canyon.

We made it to the top!

Mr. Mikac says let's go get some Mexican food! Or is he wondering if that red truck will make it up the hill?

And just to make sure we don't finish the trip with a net loss in calories, we stop on the way home at El Rancho in Payson to finish off a few baskets of chips apiece and a big Mexican feast!!