I've mentioned before the first half of our loop is all uphill with very little flat hiking, let alone no downward slope at all.
Hooray, we all made it to the top! Here are Chicken Mama and son #2 (and the back end of Maisy) on the ridge behind our house.
I corralled Erin's whole family on the ridge for this group portrait.Instead of just hiking along the ridge and then turning down on the return leg of the loop, we decided to be adventuresome and head off to the north of our property and onto State land.
We came to a small stream that is usually frozen solid in winter but the water was flowing yesterday. Above #2 son is helped over by his dad while Maisy, Zoey, Tucker and #1 son await their turn.
#1 son insisted he could make it over under his own steam and he did . . . with his mom keeping watch.
Me, Chicken Mama, and Erin posing (and pausing) on the hike for a picture taken a little too far away to make out our faces but trust me, it was us.
Erin's hubby and my hubby at another spot on the trail.
#1 and #2 son had the sharp eyes to spot some blood splattered feathers in the snow. #2 son is checking out the spot above. It was a fairly fresh kill which was decided by #1 son to be the remains of a woodpecker killed by a hawk.
The view from the ridge on the return trip. We hiked somewhere around four miles total and there was nary one word from the seven or five year old about being tired or wanting to go back. (We had taken sleds with us thinking we might have to pull them part of the way.) But they tromped on and on, intrepid, game little guys that they were.
On the leg of the loop coming down off the ridge, there is a bit of an open area that is a downhill. Chicken Mama took advantage of it by hopping into one of the sleds and taking the fast track.Once back at the house, we dispersed to clean up and then meet a couple of hours later at a casual restaurant in town. There were big appetites all around and the meal and conversation were a perfect end to the day.
8 comments:
What a lovely day and hike you had! I've always wanted snow shoes. Too bad I'd have very little use for them here.
I am so very jealous. We haven't gotten enough snow to go snowshoeing yet. And I don't have anyone to go out with (the fiance feels his snowmobile is the better way to go).
I envy you... we never get enough snow to matter, just lots of mud! Looks like a lot of fun!
ThyHand - Snowshoes are great (necessary?) for getting around in deep snow. Our snow yesterday wasn't as deep in the woods as we thought it would be so we took them off about halfway through the hike and picked them up on the way back.
Kaytee - You've got to find a pal to snowshoe with. You'll see a lot that is missed on a snowmobile!
Hope, etc. - Fun and really good exercise too. Boo-hiss on mud!
What a wonderful day. What a good idea to bring the sleds as a sag wagon. Plus those feisty fido's could come in handy as a sled team. Although I am sure once hooked up they would sit there and look at you like "are you crazy" And I am sure Zoey would feel she should ride in the sled and all since she is the senior member. Maybe not such a good idea.
Jane - This was the longest hike Zoey has been on since she took a down-turn this summer. There were a few times she stayed right with us rather than running ahead, then back, then ahead as she usually does. We watched her carefully the next day but she didn't seem to suffer any ill effects so that was good to see. I'm think wear out rather than rust out is good for dogs, too!
Ohmigosh, what a fun day it was! You should have heard the little motormouths relating it all to grandma & grandpa when we got back to their house!
Erin - We were so lucky to have that truly good weather-wise day for our hike, weren't we? I'm still amazed at how both boys kept going the whole time and didn't even seem tired.
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