Big hike and cool hiking trail sharing technology

Yesterday the kids I decided to go back to Grafton Notch State Park to hike the Eyebrow Trail. They were motivated to hike the mountain they saw across Route 26 when we were on top of Table Rock last week.

I had asked my friend Carl how challenging the Eyebrow was and he said it was steeper than Table Rock (and we thought that one was a challenge). But the kids wanted to give it a whirl before our fall schedule kept us from visiting the park again this season.

And yup, it was a really steep climb! There were several areas with ropes to grab on to to pull yourself up the trail.

And some metal railings to hold on to on the open rock face area (this particular spot made the kids really nervous but once they got over the shock of the drop, they did great).

And then it went up - and up - some more.

The elevation gain for the mile it took to get to our lunch spot (pretty much at the top) was about 1,200 feet. That was the most gain the kids had ever done in that mileage and although they were tired at the top, they were really pleased with their accomplishment.

We enjoyed lunch with a beautiful view.

And waved to the Table Rock trail across the way.

I had brought along our GPS unit, not to find geocaches, but to try a new website - everytrail.com my friend Lisa told me about. The site lets you save your 'tracks' (the path you hiked that you can save on the unit) and upload it. You can also add waypoints and photos so you can really share a comprehensive view of the trail. Basically, it's a free mapping program that sounded like a great resource. It could also be a great site for people looking for trails but aren't sure what the area is like if people share their info there.

And as I've admitted many times before, I'm a geek. This kind of site is totally up my alley, especially because it turned out to be really easy to use. I connected my GPS unit to my computer, opened a free interface software program from the site and it did the rest.

Then I added photos to the waypoints I had taken (the software matched the waypoints to my tracks automatically so adding photos was all that I needed to do). And voila, it was done!

What I thought was even cooler was the fact that they had code to paste into my blog (just like YouTube).




The kids have plans to save more tracks to our GPS to make their own maps on the site this fall.

If you give it a try, let us know so we can check it out!

Dulce is itching to get outside

Dulce the kitty hangs out by the door just begging to go outside. It's clear she has a calling but we're waiting until she's a little bigger before letting her get acquainted with the great outdoors.

As you can see, she's still a peanut even though she thinks she's ready to tangle with the chickens. She watches them all the time.

Of course, this is the not-so-great habit she has of letting us know she wants to go outside.

And yup, she does climbs on every screen in the house.

Archery class with 4-H club

We had a busy weekend with the kids' 4-H club like I mentioned before with digging for gems then silk screening and an archery class.

The girls have done some backyard archery but the class helped them understand some important points of the sport that they just didn't seem to grasp when their dad was explaining it to them.

Like the comfort of an arm guard.

How nice higher-end bows are and how to position yourself when shooting.  The bows were way nicer than our Goodwill finds.

G. got that position thing during the following round with her friend.

And the girls had a chance to see some other kids who know how to shoot.

But not only did the kids enjoy shooting, they also loved tracking down the stray arrows in the woods. Most in the group were novices so there was a fair amount of time during those first few rounds spent in the woods between shooters.

And even the adults had a turn to shoot and it was a toss up who was having more fun.

Digging for gems in Oxford County

We went digging for gems at Western Maine Mineral Adventures in Oxford County over the weekend with the kids' 4-H club.

Basically, the site owners do the hard work by providing the mining work already. Visitors to the quarry area fill a bucket of dirt and rock mined from the area quarries to sift through to find the gems.

The kids didn't mind the digging work at all.

Afterwards the kids sifted small amounts of dirt and rocks from their bucket through a screen.

Then dipped the screen into a tub of water to rinse off the remaining dirt before dumping their booty on to the table to sift through and look for the gems.

All the kids found some kind of tourmaline (black, green, pink and watermelon) but most were very small pieces.

But it turned out that one of the older boys in our group found a large piece of green tourmaline and was told it was worth quite a bit of money (over $500 for sure, with the guess it was really worth much more than that).

The trick of digging for gems is knowing what you're looking at. For instance feldspar comes in a bunch of different colors so identifying it isn't always so easy. The kids found a lot of feldspar that they liked and thought they could make jewelery out of it along with the tourmaline they found.

My girls had fun peeling the mica apart - there was a ton of it in the area.

G. got tired of looking for gems (she had a full baggie of them) so she decided to make designs with the smaller rocks on her table.

And we found that once you start digging it's hard to stop. Fino was as enthusiastic about the activity as the kids.

There was a poster with some of the more common gems found at the site. The kids found an example of each of these displayed the day we visited.

See more photos from the trip


Digging for gems with L.

Silk screening t-shirts

We had a really fun 4-H weekend and haven't had a chance to sort out all the photos yet. One of the many activities we did with the club these past two days was silk screen t-shirts.
Earlier this summer I did some research on silk screening and found a really helpful video on how to do it inexpensively at home (see below). The kids made t-shirts with their friends for our camping trip in July, then again with their California cousins and now with their 4-H group.

They've enjoyed doing this so much I thought I'd share how we did it.

We used an embroidery hoop and 100% nylon material (a 'sheer' fabric - like the kind used for dance costumes - worked great for us) to make the screen.

Then the kids drew a simple design (nothing too intricate) on to a piece of paper and then traced it on to the material (securely fastened in the hoop).

We used Mod Podge and a small paint brush to 'paint' the glue on to all the areas of the screen that we did not want ink to go through. We applied two coats of Mod Podge to make sure the screen was well-covered (and it turns out after making several of them, the screen lasts longer with two coats).

We opted to use Lumiere fabric ink instead of the more typical fabric paint because it is not as sticky and less likely the clog-up the screen. The downside to the ink is that it requires heat-setting (laying an iron on the design for several seconds once the ink is dry). The kids also liked the metallic paint options with the ink and I liked that a little of it went a long way. I purchased 3 bottles of the ink at the beginning of the summer and still have 2 half full bottles after making nearly two dozen t-shirts.

We use a piece of folded, coated paper - a newspaper ad circular actually - to spread the ink on the screen. It works great.

An extra set of hands to hold the screen in place while spreading the ink is helpful.

When making letters with the homemade screen, they aren't perfect - designs are more 'forgiving' for inaccuracies with the screening. But after the paint dried on these particular t-shirts, the kids outlined the letters with glitter fabric pens and the effect was really nice. The shirts are still drying as we speak but I'm sure you'll see the final results in a future photo here ;-)

These t-shirts made by my nieces were screened with metallic ink and they liked the 'fancy shine' to them.



Silk screening: A how to video from YouTube

The sights on Route 26

Thursday was the first time I'd ever traveled Route 26 beyond Gray/New Gloucester (Range Pond is about the farthest point we've ever gone on the road). So it was an enjoyable drive along the route to see all the places I've heard people talk about but had never seen first-hand.

For instance, Poland Spring's Preservation Park. There's some historical buildings as well as hiking trails and the kids and I agreed we needed to visit there soon.

Then there's the Oxford Plains Speedway where they hold the drag races. The girls and I thought it might be fun to check that out sometime.

We enjoy flea markets and yard sales and the Undercover Flea Market in Oxford (across from the Speedway) looked right up our alley.

Perham's  is in West Paris and the kid's 4-H club is headed there later today.

We've heard Bethel has great cross country skiing and we saw signs for the Cross Country Ski Center at the Bethel Inn.

And of course Sunday River is just off the highway as well.

Then there was the silly stuff. Like the sign we read outside a country store.

I bought a pizza for my wife. It was the best trade I ever made!

Probably an old joke for those in the area but I had a good chuckle over it and so did L.

L. also spotted a deer crossing sign with a red circle sticker on it's nose.

It turned out that the 2-hour drive to Grafton Notch State Park on the single-lane highway really wasn't so bad. Between the sights and the audio book ("Half Magic" by Edward Eager - the kids gave it a thumbs up!), it was a pleasant ride for all of us.

There are even more sights on Route 26 than what I mentioned above as well.

Hiking to Table Rock in Grafton Notch

We took a road trip to Grafton Notch State Park yesterday. We had never been to the park, mostly because it's a 2-hour drive from our house and finding a day completely free of other activities is rare for us.

There were a lot of clouds and it seemed likely it was going to rain so we packed our wet weather gear (i.e., pull-overs) before heading to the park. It turned out we didn't need to because it never did get around to raining while we were there.

After reading the state park brochure (see pdf of it here) with the trail descriptions, we decided to hike to Table Rock.

We chose the white blazed trail (there are two trail options to get to Table Rock) which was a steeper climb and a challenge for the kids but with a few breaks along the way, we managed the 1.5 miles to the top (with approximately a 900' elevation gain I think - correct me if you know for sure!) with a sense of accomplishment.

View of Table Rock from Route 26

We ate lunch on the actual rock but I wouldn't let the kids step past the crack in it because it made me too nervous for them to be any closer to the edge.

It's a straight 900' drop.

The kids decided to make some goofy poses after eating their lunch. Apparently my kids aren't happy unless I let them do funny face pictures after the obligatory smiling one.

And L. wanted me to share with everyone that she hasn't forgotten her first bunny friend even though she brings her Webkinz everywhere these days.

Hiking back down the mountain was just as demanding on the legs as climbing up. L. said they felt "funny and wobbly" by the time we made it back to the car. And actually we met several different couples with dogs that did not make it to Table Rock because the dogs couldn't manage the rocks and steep climb (see video for details).

Personally, I would not suggest this hike for young children either unless they had a good endurance level. It is listed as "easy" in various guides but I believe that rating relates to adults. Yes, kids could do this hike but only if they really like to hike and don't have a tendency to complain about walking uphill.

G. had brought along her "Forest Trees of Maine" guide book so she could do some more work on her deciduous tree 4-H project.

I love the fall but really wasn't prepared for the colorful leaves just yet ...

After our hike, which took several hours, we decided to stop at Mother Walker Falls, Screw Auger Falls (where did they come up with those names!?) and Moose Cave. We dipped our tired feet in the icy cold water of Screw Auger and it felt great.

And I had a chuckle over this site. I love the ruffles even if they aren't the socks I asked her to wear on the hiking trip (she does have socks that absorb sweat and cushion her feet better). But it does go to show that a girl can love the outdoors without sacrificing her feminine side.

Oh and I had to include this pic because the girls liked this bit of trail humor...

See more photos from the park


Hiking (and 360 view) of Table Rock


A 5-second video we took with my cell phone and uploaded it directly to YouTube (here's how to do it if you're interested). We thought we were pretty slick ;-).

The Ledges Trail at Douglas Mountain

Yesterday we took our cousins and Mimi the dog hiking on Douglas Mountain.

We hike the mountain every year and after trying out the Eagle Scout trail from the new trail head off Douglas Mountain Road last spring we have generally opted for the shorter - although steeper - Ledges Trail from the old trail head.

We chatted with several families with children on the mountain yesterday who aren't fans of the Eagle Scout trail. It's much longer than the 1/4 mile to the top from the Ledges Trail. And I was asked a couple of times at the trail head where the short trail to the top was.

I'm not sure if it was Mimi the dog or simply the kids that attracted questions, but several other people along the trails and at the top of the mountain commented on not being prepared for the length of the Eagle Scout trail and about how the mountain used to have a nice short trail and that the new trail 'was too long.'

Having made the mistake once before, I told them I knew just what they were talking about. And although the new Eagle Scout trail is not that long, it's just not what visitors expect when their friends suggest they hike the mountain because it has a short trail and yeah, even little kids can do it.

It seems there's mixed reviews about the new trail so the comments we heard yesterday from families with young children weren't unusual.

So if you're taking your little ones hiking and want to find the Ledges Trail - the one that's a steep climb but only 1/4 mile - park at the new trail head off Douglas Mountain Road. Then walk back out to the road, take a left and follow the paved road up the hill to the old trail head.

There is NO signage to direct you to the Ledges Trail from the new trail head and that's unfortunate.  But once you find it, the Ledges Trail is well-marked and easy to follow.

The Ledges Trail

The stone tower is all the motivation the kids need to make the climb up the mountain.

Of course the Webkinz came along for the hike.

We found a nice shady spot to relax and have a snack.

Mimi made lots of new friends on the trail because there were lots and lots of dogs hiking with families yesterday. People with dogs always stop to chat and my kids really enjoyed all the friendly dogs and people.

See more photos from our hike on Douglas Mountain

Another bare chicken butt at our house

Yesterday we returned home to find the yard empty -- not a chicken in sight.
But after a walk around the coop we did find our neighbor's rottweiler prowling the area.

It seems the dog escaped her yard again (for the millionth time). We've tried for years to be patient with the rottweiler's owners and neighborly when returning the dog home.

Yesterday, after discovering a bunch of feathers (usually the sign a chicken has been killed) and facing the task of rounding up the flock (a time-consuming and not-so-fun job), I decided it was time to take a firmer hand with the situation.

G. and I caught up with the dog and guided her back home (she's a big dog with big teeth and although has never bitten us, I know she has never been trained properly so we don't get too close her). Fino on the other hand knows how to handle this dog but unfortunately he wasn't home at the time.

 After ringing the bell several times the owner's girlfriend came to the door. I explained that the dog has been in our yard a lot (even more than usual lately) and was hoping she could keep the dog in their own yard.

I was told by the girlfriend that she and the owner thought the dog was staying in their yard all the time now and didn't need to wear the collar for the electric fence anymore (which was purchased less than a year ago, previous to that they didn't have anything to properly keep her in their yard).

The nonchalant delivery of that statement cinched my decision to call animal control.

A little while later we had all our cousins outside helping us round up the chickens. I assumed we'd find at least one dead chicken after discovering a bunch of feathers that definitely did not fall out naturally.

But it turned out that Napoleon was still alive; he just had a lot less tail feathers.

AFTER the dog attack.

BEFORE

So now we have two chickens with bare butts running around our yard.

I guess we'd better watch out, we could be charged with indecent exposure of poultry.

Tie-dyeing t-shirts

We tie-dyed t-shirts outside yesterday after our trip to the race track. It's one of those summertime crafts that my kids love because it's both messy and colorful. And they particularly enjoy making matching t-shirts to wear with their cousins and friends.

My cousin had picked up the dye and t-shirts but I turned out to be the slacker and had forgotten to buy elastics. We improvised by using clothespins and were all pleasantly surprised how well they worked out.

We used a full package of powdered Rit dye and mixed it with very hot water in buckets outside.

My experience with Rit dye in the past is that the color washes out if you use the amount of water it calls for on the box. And asking the kids to hold the fabric in the dye for more than 20 seconds while standing over the bucket with their shirts  is too much for them.

I used about a gallon of water with the full packet of dye.

Once the kids chose the area of the t-shirt to dip in the dye they counted to 20 before they removed it.

The downside to using clothespins (which they put on before they dipped it in the dye) was that it was a bit tricky to squeeze out the excess dye so I helped the kids do that part.

L. was being silly when I asked her if I could take a picture while she was making her t-shirt.

After the kids were done with the dye, they washed their shirts (with the clothespins still fastened) in a bucket of cold salt water (one gallon of water w/ 1 cup of table salt).

We ended up with a colorful mix of shirts for the cousins to wear together.