Many people travel to Great Wolf Lodge for their family getaway by car, some by train, even some by plane—but when we heard of a mother and son traveling to our resort on foot, it caught our attention.
Jaime Teevan (@jteevan) and her 7-year-old son, Cale, walked over 100 miles from their home to Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound, WA. When we read about their walk on Twitter (Jaime live-tweeted the whole thing!), we wanted to make sure their adventure would be one they would always remember. Great Wolf Lodge tweeted words of encouragement to the duo along the way as they shared updates about their 8-day trek.
At the resort, we prepared for their arrival by planning a full welcome party, complete with Wiley the Wolf and Rachel Raccoon, balloons, treats, and foot massages. We knew their feet would be pretty tired after such a long journey!
Once Jaime and Cale returned home after their 100-mile walk and exciting family vacation at Great Wolf Lodge, we caught up with them to ask about their mother/son adventure and the quality time they enjoyed both on the way to and at the Lodge.
So, whose idea was it to walk to Great Wolf Lodge? It was Cale’s! According to Jaime, she and Cale spend a few nights at the Lodge every year around Christmas. When they were returning home from their holiday visit, they started to brainstorm next year’s vacation. As they looked out the window at the landscape speeding by, the idea of taking a journey there on foot started to develop.
Jaime also noted that she and Cale spent a lot of quality time together preparing for the trek, whether it was training or planning out stops along the way. “I mapped out each day of the route, choosing where we would walk, where we would stay, where we would eat, and where we would rest,” she says. She and Cale also did a lot of training prior to the walk. “We spent weekends and afternoons walking around our neighborhood, often with the rest of the family.”
And, as with any adventure, there were a few unexpected surprises along the way! Cale’s favorite? An almond toffee factory in Tacoma—they had samples to eat and huge boxes for just $0.99!
Overall, Jaime’s favorite part of the trip was the quality time she got to spend with Cale. “We spent a lot of silent time trudging down the road next to each other, but our focus was always on each other, what we were doing, and where we were—and this created a really unique opportunity for us to connect and share.”
So this isn’t to say you and your wolf pack should put on your sneakers and walk to the nearest Great Wolf Lodge, but no matter the road you take on your fun family getaway, spending quality time with the ones you love should always be part of adventure.
