Hiking with Kids

This weekend Mark and I made the spontaneous decision to take the children hiking in the mountains. I know it probably sounds like the cooling temperatures are impairing our brain function. After all, who in his or her right mind would take three children under four on a hike?

Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith as a parent and pray that everything turns out well. Fortunately for us, our leap of faith didn’t end like the Roadrunner on Looney Tunes. Our children did amazingly well. Who knew higher altitudes could lead to better listening in kids?

Our pint-sized explorers asked tons of questions as we walked up the trail. Why do leaves change colors? Why do leaves fall off trees? Why does that green stuff grown on the tree? Questions are all great until your child asks about people walking on the trail, and Mila’s voice only comes in one volume—loud. She saw a young couple, probably of college age, with their arms around one another. She asked, “Why they hold on to each other?” “Probably because they don’t have kids,” I said. Then she asked why another man had a ponytail because ponytails are for girls. Whew! I sweat bullets these days as I try to answer questions about strangers who are still within listening distance. I suppose these awkward exchanges will go on for a few more years, so I better accept it.

When we reached the waterfall, we expected Mila and Eli to be fascinated with the cascading water. Instead, they looked at it all of a minute or two, and then they spent the remainder of the afternoon playing on an old, dead tree stump. They climbed on the hallowed out stump, stuck their heads in the hole and crammed rocks into every nook and cranny in the rotten piece of wood. We could barely get them to leave the stump to come home. Now I’m rethinking Christmas. Maybe Santa needs to bring his chainsaw on Christmas Eve and cut down a tree in our yard. Somehow I think a stump would lose its appeal in our own yard though.

Mark, of course, had the hardest job on the hike. He pushed Siler up the mountain trail in the jogger stroller and up and down steps to reach our destination at the waterfall. Siler didn’t mind the bumpy ride. We might have a future thrill seeker on our hands because he cackled so hard each time the stroller’s wheels hit a step and bounced.

I’m just glad we survived the great outdoors with our homegrown wildlife. It’s always an adventure whenever we leave the house with our crew.