We went for a 3.5 mile hike on the Appalachian Trail on Saturday morning. The hike started out with a 1/2 mile climb up to the top of the South Mountain area. We then followed trail along the ridge of the mountain for a little over a mile to our stopping point, a nice overlook of Wolfsville and then back to the car.
Along the way the kids stopped to look at everything. Rocks, logs, sticks, leaves, acorns, ants, and whatever else they could find. They were very curious about what they were seeing.
Parts of the path were very steep and we had to use "rock steps" to go up and down.
There were a lot of snack breaks and water breaks and "oh a log" breaks. But the point of the hike was to get outside as a family and help the kids to enjoy nature. We are very lucky to live so close to such a nice trail so we want to be sure the kids know all about it!!
We started to get a little cold as we got closer to the top of our hike, we had been sweating most of the way up and when we got to the top the wind picked up a little and the temperature seemed to be dropping. We didn't bring sweatshirts or anything to stay warm so we decided to jog along parts of the trail that weren't so rocky. Dave runs this route on a regular basis but the kids were starting to get tired and sloppy so we had to be careful that they didn't fall too often.
Unfortunately it was a very hazy day so there wasn't much "view" at the top. We should have been able to see all of Wolfsville. Maybe next time!!
The millipede was definitely Luke's favorite. He found these little bugs everywhere! This was only about the 10th one he picked up calling it his little friend. Every time we made him put one down he told us that he "missed his friend millipede."
We have been pushing the kids to do harder and harder hikes. This hike took us 2 hours and 45 minutes. Our walking pace is about 30 minutes per mile which isn't too bad considering some of the terrain we walked across. Currently, what slows us down is the snack and water breaks. But if we cut time there the kids may not be able to make it as far?!? This pace seems to be just fast enough and the terrain just hard enough, today when we got home Cora ate lunch and then as she was finishing up she announced that she was going up to her room for a nap. She gave us a hug and kiss, went to the bathroom, and put herself to bed. Believe me, this was a FIRST for her. She was tired!!
We met about 10 people on our hike and all of them commented on how well the kids were doing and something about being impressed with their hiking skills. Another popular comment was directed towards us, fellow hikers were happy that we had the kids out there so young. One gentleman said he couldn't pull his kids away from their phones, computers, or TV long enough to go for a 3 hour hike. (I did use my iPhone to take pictures and sent/read one text... I guess we all are technology addicted to a certain extent!)
I hope these family adventures continue and as the kids get older we won't be forcing the kids to participate - maybe they will ask to go!!??!!
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1 comments:
I'm loving all of your posting lately!! Looking forward to getting our boys outside. Charlie brought up doing back country camping and asking when I thought they'd be ready. Hmm....when will I be ready for that with two kids?