We went on our first real hike of 2008 the other day! Come to think of it, I think it was our first real hike as a fam of four. It was a gorgeous, sunny day, and the outing was VERY refreshing!!
We decided to take the shorter route up the Butte, which we thought might be steeper, but it didn't look like it was steeper on the map... About 1/4 mile up, we found two unattended dogs hanging out on the trail. Corey thought he might have seen a lost sign back at the trail head, so he waited with the kids while I hiked back down to check it out. Sure enough, they had been lost there a couple days earlier. I'm so glad Corey was paying attention! I had been too busy reading the "I lost my camera at the top..." sign, and hadn't seen the "I lost my dogs" sign... priorities, priorities! ;0) Anyway, I hiked back up to Corey and the kids, then we all hiked back down to the parking lot with the dogs and waited for their owner to show up. Then we started the hike all over again! It makes me sore just thinking about climbing up that steep first 1/4 mile three times in a row...
Corey was my hero. He carried Micah all the way, along with my loaded-down circa 1980-something back pack. He he he. After adjusting the straps, he had a whole inch or two to spare! It made me think of the time we went to Men's Wearhouse when we were just out of college and getting him fit for an interviewing suit. The tailor, when measuring Corey's shoulders, called a few salesmen over to take a gander and they all gaped over Corey's wide, wide shoulders. He has to get "athletic fit" dress shirts, and everyone always asks if he's a wrestler--he's not. But no wonder my grade school pack is tough for him to don! ;0)
To the untrained eye, it might look like Kendra is screaming in terror here. To those who know her, I'm sure you readily recognize the "shrieking for joy" face. ;0) She was having an absolute blast! She has always been very cautious, and not so much one to embrace physical adventure. Corey and I have no idea what happened, but we went from, "Come on, Kendra, you can do it!" to "Whoa! Wait a minute! That doesn't look safe! Wait for us!!!" overnight. She was bounding up this trail like nobody's business. I was SO proud!! We LOVE to hike, so I was really, really thrilled to see this new hiking attitude in my sweetie!
When you get near the top, it's nothing but boulders to scale any way you see fit:
Enjoying the view and snacks at the top:
