Winter Hike

We are going all the way back to January 4 ... which was our first day back to school and work (still from home) after winter break. As I had alluded in an earlier post, we were physically ready - but the return to real life took a lot of mental energy. And required a lot of time indoors on screens. Yuck!

By the end of the day, everyone needed out. The kids were back in their "too much screen time" daze, so put up a bit of a fuss when we told them to put their gear on because we were going hiking. They did it, but there was grumbling in the ranks. I get it. After a day like that, crashing on the couch and zoning out sounds so good. But Mike and I knew that fresh air would be better for all of us. So off we went with only hints of mutiny emitting from the back seat. 

We went up to the bluffs trail that we hiked several times this summer. It looked so different in the winter, which made it really run. We could even see a few snowshoers in the distance, so Mike made up a story about the Abominable Snowshoe monster that had Dec and Quinn laughing and Fiona holding my hand for much of the hike. We took a different route than usual up to the top of the bluff. It required climbing up a pretty steep hill and the kids decided it was "the killer hill." They were all super proud that they made it to the top on their own power! Thankfully there was a bench for a quick rest.

We continued onward with the occasional glimpse of the Snowshoe Monster and made it to the top of the bluff at the perfect time to watch the sunset. After checking out the sun from various angles, it was time to head back down. This is the part of the hike where we were all glad that we had snowpants on. It was super slippery and there were areas where it was just easier to slide down on our butts rather than try to not fall. Mike made sure he was in the front to catch any wayward sliders.

We made our way back to the car in the dusk, keeping our eyes peeled for the Snowshoe Monster's lair. Raise your hand if you think Mike jumped out to scare people. [He did.] As we drove home, the backseat was full of energy and statements like "that was so fun!" Turns out, Mom and Dad are smarter than we got credit for. Thank goodness there was no hiking mutiny.