Hiking Trip

After church yesterday, Justin suggested we all go hiking up at Lake Georgetown.  It was a beautiful day & we decided to spend the afternoon outside as a family!

We loaded up & headed to the trail that leads off to the place that Justin bow hunts at.  It was actually a good thing that we went there; I often wondered what I was to do if he were up there hunting & didn't make it home or called & needed help -- I would have no clue where to find him.  So, I guess not only was this trip a fun family outing, it was also educational seeing where he hunted & knowing how to get to where he will be!

Kaylee got to try out the Kelty backpack for the first time & she did really well in it.  We used it quite a few times with Austin when he was a baby, but haven't pulled it out in a couple of years since he's become such a big guy.

The guys both took their fishing poles & we hiked for about 1 mile (took us about 30 minutes to get there & Austin hiked in the entire way by himself -- he never asked to be carried once!) to where Justin hunts (or close by, I should say).  There was a neat pond that we stopped at, and the guys did some fishing while us girls sat on a blanket under some trees.  It was so nice & relaxing -- the wind was blowing, the sun was shining & it was so fun watching Austin having fun in the outdoors.  

Not long after we got there & they started fishing, he realized that fishing wasn't really for him, so he came back to "my side" of the pond & threw rocks into the water.  Justin fished for a little over an hour while me & the two kids hung out, had snacks & enjoyed the day.

After about an hour & a half, we packed up & started making the mile trek back to the truck.  The way back was a bit rougher than the way in -- Austin was tired & getting slower & slower with each step, and Justin & I were just ready to get back to the truck.  Kaylee quickly fell asleep in the carrier & I made a comment of how gracefully she slept in it with her little hand up by her face & her head gently placed on the padding in front of her; needless to say, this "grace" would soon fade away to a neck-breaking nap, as you'll see in a few more pictures below...

Austin & I took quite a few "pit stops", as he called them, to drink water & check out the cactus plants growing everywhere.  I think he thought I'd never been in the woods or hiking before, because he was showing me all of the rocks & trees & cacti all over -- it was so cute, so I played along...

Like I said, Kaylee's graceful nap turned into a nap that surely put a crick in her neck.  We laughed because we have a photo of Austin with his head the exact same way in that same carrier while hiking when he was a baby.  I may have to post them side-by-side in a bit -- I'm sure it'd be funny to see them both napping in the same position!

It took us almost 45 minutes to get back, but we finally made it back to the truck.  The last 200 yards were the worst -- it was a bit uphill & Austin just seemed to be dragging.  But I kept thinking what a big boy he is; he never asked to be carried once, and he hiked the entire 2 miles by himself!  That's pretty awesome for a 3 year old!

Justin & Kaylee had walked up ahead of us the last leg of the hike, while Austin & I lagged behind, taking our time & checking out all of the rocks & ant piles in the trail.  Once we got to the Tahoe, I found Kaylee still in her carrier on the ground.  It was so funny to see her sleeping in that backpack, just like Justin had taken her off his back.  

We had a great family hiking trip & plan on doing them more often now that both kids are bigger this year; Kaylee was just so small last summer that we didn't get to do as much outdoor stuff as we had hoped.  On the way home, Austin even took a nap (a rare event in this 3 year old's life!), so Justin & I were both glad that we had tired him out to the point that he needed to "recharge his batteries", as Justin calls it!