First Days

Addy went off to 2nd grade...

And our newly minted 5 year old went off to Kindergarten!

Mom and Dad came home to a cup of coffee.  And then out for a hike to celebrate.

The Lanz Ladies at Girl Scout Camp

Each year the Girl Scouts of Juneau organize a Mother-Daughter Retreat at Echo Ranch and we couldn't wait to go!

We left with happy smiles...and not to give anything away, we came back muddy, smelly, exhausted, but still with smiles (well as much of a smile as we could muster - definitely happy we went).

To get to Echo Ranch, you drive to the end of the road.  Literally.  The road out of Juneau ends in about 1000 more feet from the turn to Echo Cove boat launch.  From there, it is a 2 mile hike around Echo Cove to get to the entrance to camp.  I knew this because I had been to Echo Ranch to attend Becoming an Outdoorswoman.  I knew the girls could walk it, but how that walk was going to go I was unsure.  On the way out to camp, we had excitement on our sides and ran into friends along the way.  On the way back, it was a slightly different story.  It was tough.  

Friday evening we got to camp, had dinner, got our gear settled into our cabin and explored camp.  Then we settled down for the night.  The cabins are nice but simple.  Bunk beds, no electricity, and a wood stove for heat.  We laid out our sleeping bags and our latern and eventually fell asleep.  

Saturday was action packed from start to finish.  The highlight of the day for the girls was definitely the horses.  Tucker for Addy and Buddy for Cora.  When the sign-up sheet for the 9 yr. old and under crowd said trail ride, I figured they'd just have kids go for a guided walk around the stable.  But much to all of our surprise, the girls got about a 15 minute ride through the forest and the meadows.  This single experience pretty much made the camp experience for them.

We also got to have an archery lesson.  The girls paid such close attention to the instructions; I was impressed.  Unfortunately the bows were so big that Cora just couldn't hold her's up.  Maybe next year. 

A little putt-putt, canoeing and laser tag!

Both girls were really nervous about playing laser tag.  The "taggers" were really heavy and shockingly pretty realistic looking as a sort of weapon.  They started off very cautiously.  By the end, Addy was having fun.  Cora decided this was definitely not for her, turned in her tagger and set up camp under a tree.

We ended the evening with songs 'n s'mores.  Perfect.

Echo Ranch is just such a beautiful place; from the breathtaking views over Berner's Bay to the horses roaming free in the meadows at night.  We look forward to our next visit.