New Hike

It is good that my friend J has also decided she wants to try to teach her kids to hike. Her familiarity with the area helps me find more of the trails around here that are nice, short and well suited for kids. This one is going to become one of my favorites, I think.  This was on our way there...

There were even some tall trees on the hike.  They were few and far between but they make my heart sing!

It was pretty cold as the fog had rolled in over night and was stubbornly refusing to lift.  The trees are part of an apple orchard.

They have these cute spots along the path where they hang a pail so you can collect water and water the trees.  The kids had a blast following the well-written instructions.

At one of the "watering spots" Z slipped and fell in the water...we had to strip her down and let her wear my jacket...she was quite the trooper and didn't even cry!  In between distractions, we spend much of these hikes listening to at least one of the kids complain, cry or generally have a bad attitude - there are four of them, four and under after all.  J and I just generally don't listen and every time we get home, the kids tell us how much fun they had.  So, falling in the water, well, we thought it was all going to crumble at our feet.  But instead, Z got happy, K got out of her funk and we were able to keep hiking.  Kids!  Who can figure them out?

Well, it was cold and fun but we ended up with warm apple cider in our hands and joy in our hearts.  It is always good to wander through God's creation and I can see the difference in my kids and myself when we get home, so I am glad it isn't a million degrees here anymore!

God Bless!