a weekend with the mazzoleni family

August 28th, 2015

We woke early on Saturday morning in our open roof tent, surrounded by trees and Rocks, we packed up and headed for a secrete beach our friends were willing to introduce us to.

It was a short steep hike to the beach, a trail surrounded by tall beautiful pines. We stood at the end of this trail to see one of the most beautiful beaches we had ever seen. Surrounded by massive boulders, comfortably shallow, clear blue water and sand that looked as if gold flakes were sprinkled on top. Zeppelin of course being our little explorer went straight for the boulders that were in the water. Starting him young on the rock has been really beneficial. At this point in his life, at the ripe old age of 1 year and 10 months, he is most comfortable and free in nature. The day was spent slathering on sun screen, swimming in the picturesque lake, and climbing every rock or Boulder his little self could find.

We found a spot to camp with the most incredible view of the lake. There had been a fire in the area at some point, and although the black ash and burnt bark is sad to see, the natural growth of new small pines still full of green, mixed in with all the Browns and yellows, it was a place of serenity. Zeppelin fell in love. Not only was he just going to take off through the woods running to the water, which at this point would have been a two day hike, he made sure to make a pit stop at every black covered Boulder he could find, and every time he made to the top he decorated his face with new marks made of ash, by the end of it he looked like Tanto the Indian warrior. 

We left Tahoe in the afternoon on Sunday, but we weren't fulfilled with our weekend so we decided to get some climbing in while enjoying the sunny day on the beach. We packed up early and headed for a sun set on Stinson beach. Walking down the beach, me with a back pack (as a baby requires more gear than normal) and Cello with the crash pad on his back, little Zeppelin mounted on his shoulders and a bucket in hand, some surfers shouted "climb on" giving positive vibes before we made it to the boulders. We set up and swam in the warm water for about an hour before we were glued to the rocks. This location is stunning.

Cello was chalking up and we were discussing his climb when we turned around to find Zeppelin half way up a 12ft Boulder! Since we promote this as much as possible, we ran over to spot him and cheer him on. He moved with ease and glided up the shaded wall, faster than I could walk up it to spot him. Once he made it to the top he yelled "YAY" and asked for help down. Once he was down, he was right back on the wall, creating a new route for himself. The rock was sharp, but Zeppelin refused shoes. He continued to climb this Boulder about 5-6 different climbs before we told him it was daddy's turn, which didn't mean much to a toddler who is in love with climbing. He ran around finding all sorts of small boulders to climb, but of course with my mini beast all the boulders had to be at least 5ft tall. Watching him advance so much in climbing is exhilarating, the glimmer in his eyes every time he sees a Boulder reminds us we are doing something right.