The day started out cold and sunny when we got to the trailhead. GPS took us on an alternate route to avoid the bridge out on 11. We were in good spirits. Quinn was excited about using his new microspikes.
Our microspikes did get a workout since the trail was a hard-packed superhighway of snow and ice from start to finish. We moved pretty fast, though, even with an almost-5-year-old who wanted to explore and play the whole way. We passed the time spotting trail markers and playing games like "favorite things".
The descent down Cat and Prospect had annoyed Quinn so much that he was ecstatic to find how easy it was to walk in the microspikes. He intentionally walked on the ice whenever we came across it. He made very few complaints on the ascent, though there were a few times when he hopefully said "is this the last up?" and was a bit disappointed to learn it was not. I let him look at our progress in my phone once or twice so that he could see how far we'd gone and how close we truly were.
We're almost there!
I was very impressed with how quickly we made it to the top of Thomas. It was actually easier to climb this mountain in the winter. Thomas's ascent is a nasty boulderfield in warmer months and since the trail is very wide, there's little protection from the sun. It was actually quite lovely today.
After a bit of exploring, Quinn and Sully decided it was time to enjoy their summit snack.
Since there was very little wind and a lot of sunshine, Quinn was content to stay on Thomas for about an hour despite the cold. He cheerfully threw sticks and snowballs around and stomped around in the snow. I enjoyed his company and the view.
After the main descent, Quinn started reporting that his feet hurt and once we were on the long flat back to the trailhead, he seemed to be in real pain. I lifted him onto my shoulders for about 1/8 to 1/4 mile until we saw the gate. He finished the last leg on his own just fine.
Again, I want to reiterate how important I think it probably is that he enjoy his time in the woods. That's more important than achieving a 100% unassisted hike. Today I reinforced that Dad will be there for him when he needs me, that it's okay to ask for help, and I'll be proud of his achievements.
I don't have any illusions that he'll want to do these things with me in his teens, but I do hope that we hike together for at least a few years to come. I hope he'll have good memories of his time outdoors with me. Maybe he'll return to it later in life and look back on our trips fondly when he does.
