I love where we live. The coast is an hour away, the mountains are an hour away. We have rivers in our town, and creeks right outside.
One of those creeks is Sweet Creek Falls, and it has some dazzling waterfalls along the way. We have been meaning to go there forever, and we finally got a chance this past week. We went with my parents, who had been there quite a few times before.
On the way there, we came across a herd of elk. I have never seen this many, in the wild, all together, before. It was awesome. They stood and looked at us for quite a while, then all took off across the meadow and over a fence. Awe-some.
The kids did such a great job. It was Harriet’s first time on a real hike, outside a carrier. She just about lost her mind, she loved it so much. She pointed at everything. Waved at the creek and said, “Hi-ya,” whenever we had a new view of the water. She signed water all along the way. She almost made it to the end, but my mom turned around with her.
It started out kind of rainy, but that just added to the beauty. Alma got to use her umbrella, which is always cause for celebration.
Everything was so, so, so green. I love this time of year, when the leaves and young and fresh. Before summer sets in and everything gets covered in dust and dirt. The forest is alive with critters and magic.
The kids got to explore, and marvel in the outdoors. The hike was pretty short, only about 3 miles round trip, and mostly flat along the creek. Alma made it all the way to the end with Grandpa and us.
I can’t wait to do more hikes this summer with the kids. I have a long way to go before I get to my 35 miles before my 35th birthday. So far, I think I only have about 5!