The Eagle Scouts have developed a section of trail at the new trailhead off Douglas Hill Road. We usually take the Woods Trail to the top of the mountain but decided to check out the new trail instead. That was a bit of a mistake at this time of year.
We were hiking through a particularly muddy area (actually that trail was mostly mud) and L. lost her shoe without realizing it and took a couple of steps in her socks. Let's just say that it was quite a messy affair.
I found a little stream and cleaned off her shoes and washed out the socks. The shoes were fairly new and a bit stiff and she really wanted another pair of socks. I didn't have any in my backpack (I have lots of other random things but socks weren't one of them) so I jokingly suggested she wear the knit gloves I had. She thought that was a great idea and put them on. She's special, that kid.
I tied her wet socks to the back of her sister's pack in hopes of them drying. The socks never did fully dry during the hike but the kids were amused by it all.
At some point I realized that the Eagle Scout's trail was leading us all the way around the mountain instead of to the stone tower at the top. I may have missed a trail marker leading off to the other trails but my guess is that maybe they haven't posted all the markers yet.
So since we had some bushwhacking experience under our belts this spring - and the ticks aren't out in full-force yet - I turned on the GPS and we made our way up the side of the mountain.
The woods weren't thick but the incline was steep so I bribed the kids with jelly beans. It was hard work and it seemed to me that they needed some incentive to keep going. Even Flat Rover got a treat during one of our many water/candy breaks.
We were all breathing hard and had bright red faces by the time we reached the stone tower about a half hour later.
What cracked me up was that after our picnic lunch the kids suggested playing Tag.
"Are you serious," I asked. "After all that hiking (almost 2 miles, with 1/2 mile being a very steep elevation gain) you want to play Tag?"
"Yeah mom. Tag is fun and we're not tired anymore," said L.
And here I was feeling badly because it was tougher hike through the woods than I had planned. And I plied them with all those jelly beans and words of encouragement just to get them to the top of the mountain. And then they wanted to play Tag? Go figure.
We chose to take the short way down the mountain on the Woods Trail. It's only 1/4 mile to the old trail head and a short walk down the road to where we parked our car. Except for the couple of patches of ice we found, it was much easier than our hike up.
We've been spoiled this week by all the warm, sunny weather. It's going to be rough when the rain and cooler temperatures return.
- Saturday: Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers in the morning then showers likely with isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 50s. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent. Sunday Through Monday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the lower 50s. Lows in the mid 30s.
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