Columbus Day Hike

Thanks to Christopher Columbus and the federal government, we were lucky to have Jake home last Monday. I really wanted to take the children out for a hike, so Jake looked up some trails and we hit the road. Originally we set out looking for a trailhead that ended up being quite a way off the main roads and very elusive. After giving up we headed to my favorite ice cream shop and then started on the road home. Well, low and behold, we found a different trailhead that was right off the highway and ended up having a very nice hike after all!

The start of the hike... the children hit the ground running:

Will had to stop and pee. The boy has at least a 5 foot range on this stream... which gives you an idea on how hard it is to get him to aim down in a toilet. Sigh. 

Crossing the fallen log:

The children kept stopping to write on the trail. Sometimes just marking the path and sometimes to write a message or draw a picture. So Jake took out his knife and made them some stick pencils... something I would never have thought of and that just makes me love my man even more. He does the coolest things for his children.

At one point the children spontaneously decided to hold hands while they were telling stories and walking along. They can be the best of friends sometimes. Just precious.

I made each child stop and let me take a photo of them. Everyone cooperated except Jacob, who pouted at first and then had to be coerced into a smile. Such a booger.

My wonderful man is also a wonderful father. I am so blessed. 

Roundtrip we hiked about 3 miles. We would have gone farther if we weren't trying to beat the sunset. It was a neat little excursion of exploration in honor of good ole' Columbus.