The weather promised to be nice all day today, so I mentioned to Cora this morning that we should go for a hike after school and take Buster out for some exercise. When I picked the kids up at 3:00 and asked them if they wanted to go on an adventure, Cora immediately squealed and started talking a mile-a-minute to James about going for a hike with Buster. In the short drive home from school they'd discussed their packing list (learned from the recent Cub Scout hike) and insisted that we needed ALL the essentials, even if it was just for an hour or two in the woods, "in case we get lost". So as soon as they'd taken care of their after school chores, they packed their little backpacks with water, snacks, flashlights, a first aid kit, a compass, and a notebook and pen (we skipped the jackets because while it was nice, it wasn't remotely cold, or even cool). James even packed a Ziploc filled with snacks for me (THREE snacks "because you never know mama"). They grabbed their hiking sticks, I loaded Buster into the van with his waist-belt leash, and we were off!
They were very excited by all the hills. Especially the downhills. Not as much the up...
The giant leaves were a big hit too! As were the MANY stream (AKA dry ravine, due to our drought) crossings and fallen tree obstacles (which were much harder on the short-legged Buster than any of us - the kids loved climbing and ducking).
Snack break after the first mile:
In general, Buster and I led the way (to watch for snakes - me with my eyes, Buster with his nose), but every now and then the kids would race ahead, then quickly halt when I reminded them about snakes (the constant rustling of the leaves - due to squirrels and lizards and whatnot - had them on edge anyway, but occasionally excitement would overtake their caution). We never saw a snake, but we did see plenty of small mammals (squirrels and chipmunks), lizards and skinks, and a group of 7 deer (who all raced quickly down a very steep embankment to get away from our noise).
Due to all the fallen trees, the route of the lower loop has changed a bit (making it longer). Since it took us over an hour to complete the first 2 miles and I had no idea what the return portion of the trail looked like, we opted to take the road back to the car (1 mile exactly, but faster, theoretically, due to the lack of terrain and exploration distractions). After another snack break, we got moving again, only to be distracted by cannons and monuments and grassy hills in need of exploration. And runners/walkers to talk to and show their dog off to. It's OK though, we had enough time before sunset and nowhere to be except for the pizza place for pick-up in about a half hour.
Buster was exhausted (but happy! - just look at that smile!) by the time we got back to the parking lot (fat dog doesn't get out for the full 1 mile loop of our neighborhood much, let alone a 3 mile hike with lots of hill climbing and tree hurdling), but the kids were ready and raring to go for our usual pizza and a movie night (they finally got to see the new Ghostbusters movie, so they were thrilled!)
Today has certainly been one of those extra good days and I'm awfully thankful for it!
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