We secured a picnic table by the beach. While Mom watched our stuff and chilled by the lake, Quinn, Sunny, and I set off up the Blue trail from the parking lot. It was a beautiful day with moderate temps and low humidity.
Quinn led the way the entire hike.
There were many deadfalls across the trail from the recent wind storms. We were able to clamber over them without much trouble.
Now that Quinn is a bit older, I started to explain the tenets of hiking a little at a time. Here we are learning to hike on the rock instead of the earth where possible.
We were moving slowly and Dad was practicing his own patience.
Here we are learning about herd paths and following the actual trail and blazes.
Quinn did a great job negotiating the rocky top half of the hike.
Sunny was a little annoyed at not being in the lead much of the way, but he was glad to be out.
There was more deadfall on the traverse from the stairs section to the boulder field. I'd forgotten how pretty this section of the trail is. Quinn started to complain a little at this point, pretending Sunny was asking if we're there yet. I reassured him there was a more interesting section coming up.
We eventually came to the final boulder field before the summit.
Quinn's spirits rose as he faced a new and interesting challenge.
I chose to let him range ahead on his own. Partially, I wanted to ensure his safety by keeping Sunny back away from him. Mostly, however, I felt he'd do well with the confidence boost. He did an amazing job scaling the boulder field. I did give him some pointers along the way, but I honestly don't think he really needed it.
Later, on the descent, I simply let Sunny range ahead of us while I stayed closer and helped him pick a safe path down.
We made it to the summit in about an hour and a half. Another hiker kindly snapped a photo of us. Quinn spent the next half hour or so throwing sticks and pebbles off the ledge while I chatted with the other hiker. Sunny played a little with the hiker's dog, Ruby. After some snacks were snacked, we made our way back down.
Quinn 2 years ago vs Quinn today. Such a big kid now.
I let Sunny run out some of his pent up energy.
Quinn was in very good spirits during the hike back down to the lake.
We spent the rest of the day playing in the sand and in the water. Quinn had fun playing with the other kids and we rough-housed in the water a bit. Then, we walked over to the ungoverned seciton of the beach to throw the stick for Sunny.
Sunny was very happy to engage in his retreiver instincts. Although he jealously guards toys in the back yard, he has no problem with "drop it" commands with the stick at the lake.
This was a much more pleasant hike for Quinn and I think 3 to 4 miles is the sweet spot for the time being. Also, the promise of a summit and interesting scrambles are definitely something that keeps him going. It seems the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
We had a really great weekend. Even though I'm on call next week, we have a T-mobile modem so we might wash, rinse, and repeat for next weekend.
Afternoon hike at Moreau.gpx (200.29 KB)