Islands in the Stream...

We just got home this afternoon after four days of camping, and we had a great time. I really loved our trip to Europe last year, but I think this vacation may have been even better. It was very relaxing, and I loved spending so much quality time with my boys.
We had beautiful weather, and the campground was almost empty, so it was nice and quiet. Part of the campground was closed off, and we saw why when we walked through that area later. A huge tree had fallen over across the road and crashed into the bathrooms. The picture below shows how big the root system was. The tree trunk must have been about four feet wide. We drove into the nearby (very small) town of Dardanelle for a few supplies we had forgotten, and saw this picture of Smokey outside the general store. Logan was happy to pose with his alter ego (see my last post if you don't know what I'm talking about). Our days while camping were filled with hikes through the woods, which are part of the Stanislaus National Forest. Being a national forest means that we can let Clark run wild and free off-leash. He had a fantastic time, especially when we encountered some snow still hanging in there at the higher elevations.
Logan was also very excited to see the snow. He and Clark are two peas in a pod, and they're both cold-weather lovers.
A few years ago I had bought Clark a backpack, intending to train him to wear it on hikes and long walks around town. Often, dogs with focus problems or fear issues (like he has) perform better when they have a job to do, like carrying a backpack. But Clark didn't like wearing the backpack when we first got it, and so I hadn't tried again to train him to use it until now. When Logan strapped it on him before we left for a hike the other day, he didn't mind it at all. In fact, he seemed to be very excited to wear it. And he looked so cute!
Since this past winter was such a wet one, the river was running really fast and high, so we couldn't explore the island that my family used to go to when we camped at Clark Fork years ago, But we found enough other beautiful places to explore.
We had to cross a few smaller side streams on our adventures through the woods, which often included walking across fallen logs. I was glad all three of us made it home safely!
Banana break! Clark was kind to carry bananas for our morning snack in his backpack, although they did get a little bruised and wet when he ran through the water.
More snow! The look of pure joy on Clark's face cracks me up.
Our newest family (self-)portrait, taken while enjoying the view from the edge of the stream.
This is what a dog looks like after two hikes in one day. Even in the woods, he's still a lap dog. And yes, he was actually asleep!
My handsome boys!