No Cares, Mountain Air

I am pretty sad our first camping trip of the year didn’t happen. All of us were looking forward to a long weekend of camping on Whidbey Island. Thankfully we didn’t get the kids hopes up too much about being able to go. I made a point to talk and let them know there was a big possibility we wouldn’t be able to go. Kids are so resilient and that is something to be truly grateful for! We tried not to dwell on the fact that our weekend plans now needed to change. It actually still turned out to be a really great weekend. I asked for suggestions from the kids on how they would like to spend our long weekend with dad. Odin asked to go on a waterfall hike that we have done a few times. Aspen was quick to agree with that suggestion! Sam and I planned another hike for the next day. Due to everything going on we haven’t been out on the trails as much as we would like. We were wondering how the kids would do with so much hiking all of a sudden. They did awesome! These are repeat hikes for us and it was amazing to see how much they have improved since the last time! Not only did their endurance improve significantly but also their overall understanding of safety on the trail. I didn’t have to carry a single kid on either hike. First up was our waterfall hike – also known as Dickerson Creek Waterfall.

I forgot to clock this one but I would guess that we hiked a little over 3 miles! The trail to the waterfall is posted as 2.5 miles out and back but we did a lot of exploring on the side trails. We last did this trail in November when my sister was visiting. Aspen needed to be carried for some of it on the way back. This time both kids walked the entire thing themselves! Hiking down to the waterfall is a steep, narrow trail. There are ropes on the side and some wooden steps to help make the trek down a little safer. Odin and Aspen did a great job on this part as well. They used great trail awareness and made it down and back safely. I have really been working with them to assess risk and think about safety while we are out hiking. We talk about things like staying in eye sight of myself or Sam. The kids always lead instead of being behind us. They are aware of the wildlife in our area and I have really drilled this one with them. I have slowly started to let them know what to do if we encounter any of the wildlife that could be dangerous to us on the trail. I think this is so important for anyone hiking at any age. Be prepared for what you may encounter! Trail condition is another thing we have really been working on. We look for any potential hazards on the trail like roots, rocks, water, fallen trees, washouts, steepness and drop offs. I’ve tried to really have them look at their surroundings and think about what is the safest way to proceed on the trail. It is great to see them actually put that knowledge to use now! Also they help to pack their own backpacks with the things they will need for the hike!

Olympic National Forest is open again to visitors! We set out to hike Spider Lake. A fairly easy loop around the lake that we clocked at 2.4 miles. Another hike that we hope to do this summer that is also in the Olympic National Forest is Lower Lena Lake. Aspen was still in the carrier the last time we did that hike. Odin walked a good portion on his own and Sam carried them both down most of the way. The kids have been asking to do that hike again! They have set a goal to hike Lena Lake this summer! We talked with them about how they would accomplish such a goal. Lena Lake is over 6 miles and we currently do around 2 or 3 for each hike. They agreed that they would put in the time of working up to such a big hike. Freya also benefits from this as she builds her own endurance and often exhausts herself mid hike swimming! We made a plan to try to do one big hike a week as well as our regular hikes during the week. It was really fun to see them want something and figure out how they will work to achieve their goals. Hiking is just so good for kids in so many different ways!

Thankful to live in a place where we are surrounded by so much beauty.

On to the next adventure…