As is now a family tradition, we participated in the First Day Hike at Lapham Peak State Forest. I was once again proud to lead a Tyke Hike for our local chapter of the Ice Age Trail Alliance. I must admit though, my eldest took the reins and led a lovely hike while I chatted with fellow hikers and took care of my younger children.
After a visit from Monty and a less than stellar pre-hike selfie. Twenty six hikers set out for the trail. I asked my oldest to count out the hikers and so e could present hiker #14 with an Ice Age Trail bandana as she was the official 2,000th hiker of the Tyke Hike program.
Speaking of numbers in the thousands, my family and I are excited to share that we are working towards the 1,000 Hours Outside Challenge in 2020. See 1000 Hours Outside Challenge for details.
As the winter temperatures increased, so too did the energy level of our youngest hikers, so off trail for natural play we went.
In our natural play adventures, we balanced, climbed, went sledding without sleds, and even found some turkey feathers.
We stopped at the butterfly garden and surprisingly enough, we didn't find any butterflies.
We did find some cookies and cocoa after the hike.
On the way home, the girls mentioned how much fun they had and wished they could still play, so naturally, another stop was in order. With school resuming tomorrow, I figured a stop at our outdoor classroom, the Timberwolf Trail, would be the perfect place to get more outside time.
We climbed some more, searched for tracks, and added to their nature stew, a necessary activity with every stop at the trail.
The youngest missed out on the Timberwolf Trail fun, but I am pretty confident he'll have plenty of time to explore nature in 2020. I hope you do too!
Looks like a blast. Thanks for volunteering and sharing your enthusiasm for the Trail! This is how we help our next generation develop love for the Earth. Appreciate your model.
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