A Nostalgia-Fueled Itinerary

Fern Gully (Hoh Rainforest), Twilight (Forks), and a ferry to Victoria - recreating a beloved childhood trip, now with my own kids in tow, meltdowns mid-hike, and a backpack full of snacks

Some trips are about new adventures. This one was about going back.

When I was a kid, I was obsesseddddd with Fern Gully. The rainforests, the fairies, the voice of Batty (fun fact: Robin Williams' first animated role!), it all stuck with me. So did a special family trip to the Pacific Northwest. The fog, the ferns, the mossy trees and mushrooms that surely were homes to the forest fairies. And Victoria? It felt like the height of elegance to my younger self.

So this summer, we recreated that trip - with a few updates. I rewatched Twilight with my teen (a canon event) in preparation for our visit to Forks and had all the kids watch Fern Gully before we left. From Batty to Bella, we were fully immersed.

But, to keep it real…vacations are more of a parenting in the wild trip these days, now that I’m the parent who is booking the ferry, packing the snacks, breaking up backseat bickering, and trying to keep track of everyone's shoes.

So here’s the full-circle itinerary - and at the end, I’ll share a few things that helped me navigate the sibling squabbles, meltdowns, and mental load of parenting in the wild, while still making space for the magic.