Hiking With Friends

To start off Memorial Day Weekend, Alina and Valerie met up and took all the kids out for a picnic and hiking at a lovely state park about an hour away. Our day started out with a scenic drive and lots of chatting.  The kids were happy in the back with videos and napping. Upon arrival, we slathered on the sunscreen, grabbed all the sunhats and set off to find a picnic spot.  We all enjoyed a delicious spread of chicken salad, almond-chocolate-chip cookies, fruit, and veggies.  It's nice to have friends like Valerie who also eat gluten-free and dairy-free!

The kids had a blast picking up sticks, leaves and climbing all over a fallen log. Here we have the four big kids. Valerie's little one is still a bit small to perch on a log.

Yes, Valerie did spend many parts of the hike carrying TWO kids! Here's Rosemary trying out the big hiking backpack.

After packing up the picnic items back in the van, we set out for a climb up the stairs to an overlook. After stopping for some popcorn, we grabbed a few photos. Days like this: lots of snacks are key to keep everyone as cheerful as possible.

We continued on, walking along boardwalks which are built over the original trails to protect the ground. At times, we jump off the boardwalk to explore woodsy wildlife, like this fascinating half-dry creek bed. We haven't had much rain this Spring at all!

We made it to Lovers Leap, a lovely platform overlooking the river and a few waterfalls. The kids had a blast talking to all the hikers who arrived, eating more snacks, and looking at the trees and birds.  There are miles and miles of hiking in this area.

As we headed back, we decided to take a different path off the main boardwalk. This was fun and adventurous. We see lots more trips to this state park in the future.

On the way back to the parking lot, we became a little lost and had a potty issue, culminating in both Alina AND Valerie carrying 2 kids at the same time. We overstayed the kids "happy time".... oops on that. Luckily, screaming toddlers is a little easier to handle when under and open sky and canopy of trees!  Everyone perked up again when we returned to the van, pulling out more snacks for the ride home.

As the kids keep getting bigger, we'll be able to do lots more hiking and exploring.