The Hike

It was one of those afternoons where moving from the east coast to California makes perfect sense. Paradisiacal, you could say. And afternoons like this one have a tendency to turn otherwise normal people into the adventurous, active type without much warning. So it was on this Saturday afternoon, as the four of us set out on the first hike in the history of our family - possibly since Scouts and Girl's Camp, depending on what you count - and we were off toward the green hills of Briones Regional Park. 

Bennett was thrilled to be walking/running along the trails, and the nervous factor was limited to the remote possibility of a dog attack (we saw lots, but they were mostly on leashes) and a tumble down a cliff (there was a lot of grass, so he would have had a padded fall). Asher rode most of the way on our shoulders, using the kid-carrying backpack we bought at a garage sale a few months ago (for free) with the hope that we would one day use it. 

Bennett got some positive reinforcement at an early age for picking some flowers in a field and giving them to his mother; now he cannot resist the opportunity, and we have had to physically restrain him from the planters of many a shopping center. In the wilderness it seemed OK, and he was off through the meadows gathering token after token of his affection. Sweet kid.

By the end of the trek, Asher was getting restless, and his thirty-four pounds were weighing on our shoulders in a painful way. Not to mention the climb. So we found out that we, while not exactly prepared to take on Everest, definitely have the potential for being one of those families that hikes for fun, and we plan to try it again soon. Especially when the weather and scenery are this perfect.

As if all that outdoor adventure were not enough, Asher couldn't get enough and hurried outside to enjoy his own little slice of paradise - slides and lollipops in the backyard.