Needing to get a bit more excercise (and wear out the children), we've recently taken up hiking. Or rather, it's an activity I'm revisiting. It's something I used to enjoy occasionally (and Brian claimed he did, too... but in all of our nearly 13 years of marriage, he never took me hiking!)
I'm working on putting together a hiking and wilderness survival unit study for us and some homeschooling friends for this fall (praying the weather holds out... it's been PERFECT for hiking this week!) And in the meantime, we're trying out a few local trails.
Our first venture (mostly to test endurance) was the simple hiking trail in Cornwall Park.
I am embarassed to say it's been so long since I've been on that trail, that when we came out the other side, I actually took a wrong turn and we found ourselves going in a circle through the park itself. Yessir, I got us lost in a city park. Sigh. I really do have a good sense of direction!!!
The next hike was much more straightforward. Near Hovander Homestead Park in Ferndale is the Tennant Lake Interpretive Center, and beyond their Fragrance Garden and Observation Tower (also fun waylays) is the mile and half boardwalk hiking trail. All bridges and boardwalks, weaving their way through the tall swamp weeds of a marsh.
We tried to catch a big frog (and failed). Hallie whimpered the whole way, certain someone would fall in the marsh and drown (almost certainly related to her near-drowing when she was 3), and BEGGED that our next hike have less water.
Our next attempt was a bit ambitious... it would have been about 5 miles round trip, so it's probably good that we got turned around. Can I just say the trail maps and signage for the Chuckanut trail system STINKS?? We hiked for well over an hour and somehow wound up just 3 minutes from our car... and it was NOT a loop! I have no idea where we went! But there were fun bridges, a waterfall, strange cement structures... Just glad we aren't still lost in the woods somewhere!
That adventure prompted me to purchase a couple of local hiking books (one on Kindle, the other should be here Wednesday thanks to Amazon Prime,) hoping the maps and descriptions would be better than what I found online. But we WILL conquer that trail system someday!! I also downloaded an Android App called EveryTrail. It uses GPS to track where you went, including distance, speed, elevation and location. We used it today and it was snazzy!
Today's hike took us to Squires Lake Trail, South of Bellingham. Since it was Brian's day off, we invited him to come along. (You know, since he DID say he was a hiker when we got together many moons ago.) The first stretch of the trail gains over 100 ft of elevation in about a half mile. It was a pretty strenuous climb for fairly novice hikers... and it about did Brian in! When we hit the first bench, by the lake, he opted to wait there for us while the kids and I hiked all the way around the lake. Good thing he did! We had another more than 200 ft elevation gain! It was a great hike, though. A cute little brook, a "tree bridge", and we didn't even take the extra trails this round (a more strenuous "South Ridge Trail or "Beaver Lake Trail.") I'm sure we'll go back for those another time.
According to my hiking app, we went 2.87 miles total, at an average of 2.7 miles per hour (including breaks to explore the lake, tree bridge and brook, have some "trail food", etc.) in an elapsed time of 1 hour and 4 minutes.
If you've got any suggestions for good "beginner" trails, locally... please share! The kids and I are really enjoying our new hobby!
Not very close to you, but I know you come down to Seattle sometimes, the trail down to the base of Snoqualmie Falls is great this time of year and pretty short. I think it is only about 25 minutes from Seattle.
Posted by: Caroline | 08/14/2011 at 11:46 PM
We are doing a bit of hiking ourselves. It is lots of fun and so good for the children.
Blessings,
Dawn
Posted by: Dawn | 08/15/2011 at 05:00 AM
I love the Pacific Northwest - so many wonderful places to hike! If your family enjoys hiking, you may want to look into Geocaching.
Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. The website http://www.geocaching.com allows you to put in your zip code to access a list of thousands of Geocaches in your immediate area.(Bellingham has over 2100 caches - well hidden containers with fun stuff inside!)
Most Geocaches are hidden in various public access locations – parks, hiking trails etc.. Most caches have trinkets hidden inside them. If you take a trinket, you should leave one that you brought in its place. The cache is then re-hidden in the same place you found it so the next person will be able to locate it too.
It is a great low/no cost way to spend time with family. The advantage of Geocaching is that you get great exercise while having a goal-focused adventure discovering new places in your community. (The sport of Orienteering may be of some interest to you too.)
Posted by: Gwendie | 08/15/2011 at 03:52 PM
Piggybacking on Gwendie's comment, we prefer letterboxing to geocaching (www.letterboxing.org). The kids each have a rubber stamp that represents them, we carry an ink pad, and they each have their own memo books to record. You download directions and follow the clues like a treasure hunt. A lot of the time you come across amazing hand carved rubber stamps hidden in boxes in the woods. So you stamp their stamp in your book, and record date, trail, etc. and stamp your stamp in their book, and record. Then rehide.
Orienteering is a ton of fun as well.
Glad you're back to blogging. I've been lurking for a bit because my husband and I consider adopting form the foster care system, and as painful as your experience has been, we're thankful for every minute of it you've posted. We need the reality of it not working, and the reality of what troubles we may face. May God continue to bless your family.
Posted by: Kelly | 08/16/2011 at 02:04 PM
Kelly, thanks for the info on Letterboxing - I had no idea that it existed! I checked it out online and looked up letterboxes in my area. There was one a block away from me so I checked it out. Very cool! Looks like the kids and I have a new pastime. Thanks again for sharing!
Posted by: Gwendie | 08/17/2011 at 08:26 AM
Yay, we love hiking and Squires is a family favorite for easy low key days. Do go to the end of the Beaver Pond where you will see all the gnawed down trees and dam which are fascinating. The beavers are nocturna, you can't see them, but will certainly see their work. I am sure with a little more practice you'll be ready to tackle Oyster Dome - a Must Do hike!! (Even Keston could do it at 5, just work up to it a bit!). Have fun!
Posted by: Shawn @ Daffodil Lane | 09/01/2011 at 06:10 PM
I hope the kids were encouraged by the hike. Take them out more and their interests will shift from tv and computer games to the outdoors.
When you graduate from the city park, more walking sticks and better footwear should be planned. And practice your directions!
Posted by: Tristan Benette | 09/12/2011 at 11:50 AM
This good bonding time for kids and it also helps in their development as a person. I always consider hiking a fun past time...
Posted by: child therapy Hertfordshire | 02/23/2012 at 04:30 AM