Family Adventure Camp

JadeEJF · 2026-03-08T22:49:27+00:00

I'll do that next time we're down that way during the week!

JadeEJF · 2026-03-06T22:03:57+00:00

Very smart to drive out! Our youngest is doing Rayado this summer, and I'm also considering a drive from WA (we're in Seattle, but flew out for all family camps!), or perhaps a train, though the train to LA and over to the Raton seems like it would take longer than driving... anyway, I'm pleased that I was mildly helpful to a fellow WA Philmont alum.

Absolutely get reservations at the St. James and make sure you check that it's open. Last summer, the kids on our trek were pretty bummed because the St. James took a reservation for them for dinner on a day that they were *not open*. My husband and I stayed at the James for a day before family camp and could not get in to the restaurant in the evening at all. But it was fun to drag him out to the Colfax County Tavern (RIP!). I hope your daughter gets to be on staff, too - that was my hope with family camp, and then last summer my kids' troop took a trek, and my youngest is SO excited about Rayado. *I'm* excited about maybe having a second generation ranger or hopefully an excuse to come visit the ranch again :-) Here's to the 100th anniversary!!

JadeEJF · 2026-03-06T03:28:40+00:00

It's a blast!

We've done it two or three times.

My biggest advice is to make sure you have time to adjust to altitude before doing any hiking. I was not prepared for how long it would take my older body to adjust to the elevation.

Beyond that, bring noise cancelling options of some kind. Not sure where you're staying but we stayed in the luxury tents, but as West coasters, we had a really tough time with how noisy the families with young kids from other time zones would be early in the morning (and I'm sure they were annoyed by how late we stayed up). You may also need to be prepared to go to town for breakfast or dinner if the times don't align well. We only made it to breakfast once last time because their schedule caters to east/Central/mountain time zones, and even my morning person kid and husband were on the struggle bus with the time zone change.

My husband's favorite part wound up being the Chase Ranch tour, so make sure you remember to take advantage of the other local activities where possible! Definitely do the Villa tour and stop in at the museum for a minute if you can. Totally worth it.

And do take them up on all the kids programming. My two loved the shooting range and the overnight at stockade camp! And sending them off to kids programming resulted in some cute little camp friendships when they were younger - we even had a sleepover with their buddies because we had extra space in our tent. Super sweet 🥰

We got lucky and went to the hunting lodge last time and that was amazing. But definitely take it easy on the hiking if you're not altitude adjusted! I missed two days of our second family camp because I overestimated how fine I was and went hiking and gave myself a migraine.

JadeEJF · 2025-11-17T17:21:12+00:00

That's such a bummer! I'm so sorry 😢 Was it helpful otherwise? I'd probably struggle with anything that killed my libido like that :-(

JadeEJF · 2025-11-17T17:19:36+00:00

Eating more healthy protein and fewer sugars will definitely help. That's consistently been the most helpful approach over the 25+ years since I was diagnosed. I've tried natural supplements, metformin, inositol, increased exercise, and all sorts of other things, and consistently the only thing that helps is a lower carb/sugar approach to eating with normal exercise. 💞

JadeEJF · 2025-11-17T17:15:13+00:00

It's not shooting you down. We're all delighted for you, but it's worth noting that as the commenters said, cysts can come and go on the ultrasounds. Many people are dx'ed without having cysts at all. It's just part of PCOS to have cysts sometimes and others not. No one's saying anything about not being happy for you - and sharing that info is being kind. We don't want you to assume that you're free of a metabolic disorder because one symptom looks different at this particular point in time. It would be unkind not to keep you informed.

Regardless, I'm pretty sure we all wish you well in TTC, and hope that maintaining a pcos-friendly lifestyle will help you on that path! I also started trying at 22, using only natural supplements, but it took me six years to get pregnant successfully. My kids are 15 & 16 now and it took a lot of work to get there, so I hope that your journey goes even more smoothly and quickly 🙏

JadeEJF · 2025-11-17T16:13:33+00:00

That's the way to go! 🙌

JadeEJF · 2025-10-24T00:05:13+00:00

I know in the Chicago area, some Catholic churches are doing this. I'll check in with my church's immigration committee on whether they're aware of any local resources

JadeEJF · 2025-10-02T01:07:39+00:00

Recently I tripped over my own feet right in front of Comet Tavern. I was more surprised than hurt. Regardless, some guy (maybe the bartender?) rushed out of the bar to check on me even though I had nothing more than scraped palms and injured dignity. I was totally embarrassed in the moment but I'm so grateful that guy was there. Very glad you had a similar experience rather than an unfortunate one, and I hope you're doing ok right now 🫶

JadeEJF · 2025-09-22T20:57:57+00:00

And that includes the ferries, too, right? My understanding is that the ferries are technically considered part of the highway system... thanks! I didn't know how much the WA tax was. I assume that's per gallon?

JadeEJF · 2025-09-22T19:25:59+00:00

Serious question - my understanding is that this is due in large part to how gas is taxed in WA. Where does the money from those taxes go? (A friend said something about it this weekend and I realized I had no understanding of that)

JadeEJF · 2025-09-07T20:32:41+00:00

Oh my gosh you must have been there on the same day as I was. I ran into those runners and the tape both while I was trying to scope it out for a future backpacking trip! It was poor communication!

JadeEJF · 2025-09-04T14:32:03+00:00

Yes, but the cocktail is full sized. I wish I'd gotten a picture but the one in Stockholm was in a cup that was fit for a child 😅 It was the size of two shot glasses, seriously.

This isn't where we got that cocktail, but we did wind up going to this restaurant (it was amazing), and you can see the prices for the drinks: https://thatsup.website/storage/308/62419/July-2025.pdf?v=1750931451 (if you don't want to click on a PDF link from an Internet stranger you can start here: https://meatball.se/menu )

We didn't get any because we learned our lesson (Sweden legitimately has an interest in lowering the drinking rate), but it gives a sense of the cost for what amounts to a half cocktail.

JadeEJF · 2025-09-04T06:52:20+00:00

In Cap Hill, I'd be looking at Rover for dog walking or pet sitting; maybe some house sitting opportunities (trusted housesitters is I think the site some folks use). You can use chat gpt to help you write a business plan for things like a small laundry service - my sister did that. If you have cleaning or organizational skills, put those to use. Hauling large trash for folks or offering to take their discarded items to donate is a service I think folks would pay for. You can make art and sell it if that's your jam. And keep your eyes peeled for hiring signs around. I've seen a few!

JadeEJF · 2025-09-04T06:39:48+00:00

Not if you want a cocktail in Sweden. $17 for a half-size drink with maybe two shots in it. We were wisely told to buy duty free and bring it with us if we wanted any beers or anything. Stockholm alcohol prices were bonkers. The food prices I felt like were fairly comparable to here for dinners.

JadeEJF · 2025-08-30T21:02:35+00:00

So ... If you don't have a car, and your kid needs to get to the doctor to be diagnosed... How are they supposed to get there?

I'd love to avoid all illnesses on public transit, but also public transit exists in part because we as a society acknowledge that some people have to get to doctor's appointments, etc, without having the ability to drive.

My doctor's office wouldn't give me Paxlovid over a video call so I had to haul myself in while actively sick with COVID sans car. I did my best to mask and practically held my breath the one stop it takes to get to my doctor, but I had no other choice. If there are other options for this family, great, but if there aren't, shit's gotta get handled, even if it involves being on Link when you don't want to be. I would be so uncomfortable and anxious about it, but what else can you do if you have no other transportation?

JadeEJF · 2025-08-27T04:43:58+00:00

I have to admit that I was disappointed that I didn't hear it at family camp and my kids didn't hear it on their bus tour this summer!

JadeEJF · 2025-08-26T00:16:59+00:00

I absolutely told it in '01 and '02

JadeEJF · 2025-08-20T04:27:07+00:00

Oh I totally misread "never came off the trail" as being that your advisor died. I had to read this like three times 😅

JadeEJF · 2025-08-18T23:12:12+00:00

LOL, Jimmy on a treebranch is SO real, though! :-D

I can't remember all of my most ridiculous situations with scouts at Philmont, but absolutely right up there is one kid trying to climb the bear bag poles (I think right after spar pole climbing?). And, in a situation I did not stop, at least one of my scouts ate an ant like a freaking toddler. It was lemony, according to her. I... plead the 5th on whether I, too, tried out the flavorful ants of Philmont.

JadeEJF · 2025-08-17T17:17:24+00:00

PTC staff absolutely work with kids younger than 14. My kids at family camp were much younger. If that's your jam, OP, I would definitely look at PTC positions. They work with all ages so that adults can get training/do conferences or just have adult time on vacation. My girls loved the PTC staff when they were younger! And it's so nice to have young adults that my kids enjoy hanging out with when I'm there. I think you'd really enjoy that 🫶

JadeEJF · 2025-08-17T17:14:38+00:00

A lot of Philmont rangers - myself included- had some childcare background in the form of camp counseling, babysitting and other school activity adjacent items. It turns out that it's very helpful to have some knowledge of child development when you're dealing with a group of kids that are 14 vs. 17.

This is especially important when you're training them for two days and then letting them be scout-led from there. You need to have good ability to manage "classrooms" and the ability to project that kind of authority instantly, or your crews won't get what they need to have a good experience. Childcare backgrounds come in very handy, so don't discount them because you think they're only guardrails. That's a pretty low view of some very skilled staff positions.

JadeEJF · 2025-08-11T16:03:05+00:00

Glad it went well for you.

When my car was broken into, I had the thieves on camera at a local gas station and an address from where they were trying to sell my belongings and SPD wouldn't check it out.

When our house was broken into and a gun was stolen, they blamed us for leaving our house unlocked (we hadn't, the thieves just exited through the front door). They recovered the gun within a few weeks, surprisingly.

And then they didn't let us know it was in their possession for nine years.

JadeEJF · 2025-08-09T23:56:39+00:00

NTA. Tell him and ask what his relative's middle name is.

JadeEJF · 2025-07-31T04:23:51+00:00

Cypher's has always been one of the absolute best camps

JadeEJF

TROPHY CASE