Trail: Check

River: Check

Treehouse: Check

Slack line: Check

Zip line: Check

You know what we're missing? A rock wall!

Rather than building a self-standing structure with new wood and all that would entail, we opted to build onto the side of the treehouse with salvaged wood from the swingset we took down. (Yes. It was very sad to say goodbye to the childish thing we built when Clara was just a wee little one, but it was time and it had to make way for the greenhouse I foolishly "gave" for Mother's Day.)

Since we were replacing the rope ladder (don't worry, that's moving to the new platform) we didn't want to make the rock wall impassable for non-climbers. Instead of having a solid face we left gaps in the wall so it could be climbed like a ladder or rock. (For the detail-interested: We used 4x6 posts and 2x6 horizontals.)

Henry received 25 climbing holds and all the mounting hardware way back in the holidays. (Amazon affiliate links help support moosefish.com.) We did have to buy longer bolts (the ones that came were intended for plywood, not 2x6s) and a few holds had to be drilled out to allow the bolts to pass through. However, since they were Henry's holds it was Henry's job to pick the spots and do all the work to get them mounted.

In all, it took us a few hours to get the structure up and a few more hours to get the holds mounted. After an inaugural on-sight by Henry I tightened up the bolts and made sure it was safe. Since then all the kids have been up and down it several times as have a few friends and the neighbor kids. Nobody's fallen off yet. (Don't worry. The summer's still young.)

I've always subscribed to the theory it's better for your kids to have the coolest home because then they and their friends will want to spend their time there. I'm perfectly ok buying snacks for the kids' friends if it means I know where everybody is. The yard isn't perfect, but we're working on it. With luck, we'll make a few more big improvements before the summer is over.