HIKE!
Today at breakfast I told Colin that when (if!) he finished we would go on an adventure. I didn't give him any details, but played up the idea of having an adventure. Over and over and over. And while breakfast took a while, he did eventually finish his eggs and grapes, some of the apple, and about half his milk. (In the time it took Colin to nibble through this Ryan devoured three sausage links, grapes, a large handful of raisins, a cup of milk, half a granola bar. Then played with various toys for about 20 minutes!)
I finally got the boys dressed and ready, and packed them and Sydney into the car along with... drum roll please... Ryan's backpack. (Not for him to wear - the one he rides in!) Before we left I offered the boys another snack - another granola bar. Ryan devoured his half, and then Colin (who refused to eat) handed his to Ryan and Mr. Piggy ate that too!
As we drove to Hillsborough I asked Colin if he wanted to walk up a mountain. "A mountain?!?" Yep, buddy... a real mountain. Do you want to walk up one? "A mountain??? Yeah!!!!"
On our drive I called Hari, excited to share our planned adventure, but he had a different perspective. He was very worried that Colin would trip and fall on the uneven trail and/or rocks and get hurt. Very worried. But knowing me, and the fact that we were halfway there, he suggested that we stay on the direct path that goes up and down the mountain, and avoid the woods (where the rockiest trails are).
We arrived at the park, got out of the car, I loaded Ryan into the backpack, helped Syd out of the car and put on her extend-a-leash, grabbed a bottle of water, and away we went! And to my amazement... Colin hiked up the entire mountain. Three and a half years old, and he made it all the way to the top!! (I know many adults that couldn't do this - it is probably close to a mile up with a max elevation of nearly 600 feet, not to mention the return trip!) And in spite of me offering him many many opportunities to stop or turn back, Colin was determined. We were walking up the WHOLE mountain. And that, friends, is exactly what we did.
Along the way we saw tons of dragonflies, flowers of various colors (blue, white, yellow), a giant wolf spider, a praying mantis, a ladybug, butterflies and vultures flying overhead!
We made it to the top, and stopped for a water break for everyone (we shared - first Colin and Ryan, then I had a sip, then I poured some into my hand for Syd). I let Ryan out so he could walk around a bit and stretch his legs before I loaded him back into the backpack. And yes, I took a picture of my crazy climber standing at the very tippy-top of the mountain. His first real hike, and he went all the way up a legitimate mountain. GO COLIN!
Our trip down was uneventful. I held Colin's hand tightly, just in case he lost his footing (which he never did!), and we made it about half-way down. From there we headed into the woods to follow the main trail back down. Ryan would periodically demand water, and I would hold the bottle up and let him drink some while Colin took short breaks. We saw tons of trees, a few giant boulders, walked over three bridges (which Colin was crazy for!) and made it about 3/4 of the way down before he got tired. From there I carried him the rest of the way to the car. No small feat, as I was still wearing Ryan and was rather tired myself!
We made it safely back, and I gave Hari a quick call so he would know we were done and safe... and the goofball answered the phone "Is everyone OK? Do I need to call 911?!?" No, Darling, I'm just calling to tell you we had a great time and we're back at the car now. *SIGH* He's so dramatic!
I let the boys run around in the field a bit as I loaded Sydney into the car, then clicked the boys into their seats and gave them a quick snack (squeezies for both, a bar for Colin, and Cheerios for Ryan). From there it was a quick drive home, and as expected they both fell asleep on the drive. Finally at home I took Syd inside, plopped both boys in their respective beds, and enjoyed over an hour of quiet time. BLISS!!
Now that we have a successful hike under our belts I plan to do a lot more of them. I think this may be our new Saturday routine (weather permitting, of course!). It will be good exercise for me, I know Sydney has missed hiking, and I'm thrilled to be able to share my love of the outdoors with our boys. Guess it is time to pull our dusty copy of "50 Hikes in NJ" back out and start planning for next weekend. Hooray!!!!!
I finally got the boys dressed and ready, and packed them and Sydney into the car along with... drum roll please... Ryan's backpack. (Not for him to wear - the one he rides in!) Before we left I offered the boys another snack - another granola bar. Ryan devoured his half, and then Colin (who refused to eat) handed his to Ryan and Mr. Piggy ate that too!
As we drove to Hillsborough I asked Colin if he wanted to walk up a mountain. "A mountain?!?" Yep, buddy... a real mountain. Do you want to walk up one? "A mountain??? Yeah!!!!"
On our drive I called Hari, excited to share our planned adventure, but he had a different perspective. He was very worried that Colin would trip and fall on the uneven trail and/or rocks and get hurt. Very worried. But knowing me, and the fact that we were halfway there, he suggested that we stay on the direct path that goes up and down the mountain, and avoid the woods (where the rockiest trails are).
We arrived at the park, got out of the car, I loaded Ryan into the backpack, helped Syd out of the car and put on her extend-a-leash, grabbed a bottle of water, and away we went! And to my amazement... Colin hiked up the entire mountain. Three and a half years old, and he made it all the way to the top!! (I know many adults that couldn't do this - it is probably close to a mile up with a max elevation of nearly 600 feet, not to mention the return trip!) And in spite of me offering him many many opportunities to stop or turn back, Colin was determined. We were walking up the WHOLE mountain. And that, friends, is exactly what we did.
Along the way we saw tons of dragonflies, flowers of various colors (blue, white, yellow), a giant wolf spider, a praying mantis, a ladybug, butterflies and vultures flying overhead!We made it to the top, and stopped for a water break for everyone (we shared - first Colin and Ryan, then I had a sip, then I poured some into my hand for Syd). I let Ryan out so he could walk around a bit and stretch his legs before I loaded him back into the backpack. And yes, I took a picture of my crazy climber standing at the very tippy-top of the mountain. His first real hike, and he went all the way up a legitimate mountain. GO COLIN!
Our trip down was uneventful. I held Colin's hand tightly, just in case he lost his footing (which he never did!), and we made it about half-way down. From there we headed into the woods to follow the main trail back down. Ryan would periodically demand water, and I would hold the bottle up and let him drink some while Colin took short breaks. We saw tons of trees, a few giant boulders, walked over three bridges (which Colin was crazy for!) and made it about 3/4 of the way down before he got tired. From there I carried him the rest of the way to the car. No small feat, as I was still wearing Ryan and was rather tired myself!
We made it safely back, and I gave Hari a quick call so he would know we were done and safe... and the goofball answered the phone "Is everyone OK? Do I need to call 911?!?" No, Darling, I'm just calling to tell you we had a great time and we're back at the car now. *SIGH* He's so dramatic!
I let the boys run around in the field a bit as I loaded Sydney into the car, then clicked the boys into their seats and gave them a quick snack (squeezies for both, a bar for Colin, and Cheerios for Ryan). From there it was a quick drive home, and as expected they both fell asleep on the drive. Finally at home I took Syd inside, plopped both boys in their respective beds, and enjoyed over an hour of quiet time. BLISS!!
Now that we have a successful hike under our belts I plan to do a lot more of them. I think this may be our new Saturday routine (weather permitting, of course!). It will be good exercise for me, I know Sydney has missed hiking, and I'm thrilled to be able to share my love of the outdoors with our boys. Guess it is time to pull our dusty copy of "50 Hikes in NJ" back out and start planning for next weekend. Hooray!!!!!
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