Hikers in the making

We went hiking this morning as a family up Waterfall Canyon.  We haven't hiked that trail in a long time.  I think the last time we tried I was pregnant with someone and never made it very far.  We weren't sure exactly how far we would make it today but decided to take it slow and do our best.

We brought lots of water, plenty of snacks for little tummies and left early so it would be cooler.  The kids were very excited to go hiking and did very well at carrying packs with their goodies in it.

At first Andrew wanted nothing to do with the carrier we had for him and insisted on walking - just like the big kids.  Every time we tired to put him in it he would scream "NO!"  Since the beginning of the trail is pretty wide and easy to climb we let him walk between Marc and me holding our hands.  He loved it! When it got too steep and rocky though we stuck him in the pack and eventually he stopped screaming "NO!"

We made it all the way to the top and saw a beautiful view of the waterfall, which was still running strong from all of the run-off.  The waterfall spray felt good to me but the kiddos thought it was too cold so we only rested for a bit before heading back down.

Apparently the pack wasn't all that bad because Andrew ended up falling asleep on the way down.  Hannah's legs were getting tired but she made it all the way down on her own accord.  We are very proud of our kiddos because all of them walked/climbed the entire way up and back from the waterfall.

The kiddos also learned a very good life skill while we were coming down the mountain . . . how to go potty behind a bush.

My favorite quote though from this entire adventure came from Rachel.  Who proudly and excitedly exclaimed "I feel like I was built for hiking!"