The kids enjoyed our impromptu hiking earlier in the week so, even though we don't have the proper clothes, I decided that the weather was perfect, and I found another trail to explore. And did I ever find a doozie of a place to climb! As most trails do, it started out with a gradual incline and a wide path and we were full of energy, the kids more so than mom, of course.
I would compare taking my son hiking to walking with a pet squirrel that has never been free to explore the outdoors, but it is afraid to scurry off too far from it's owner. He would flit to the left and descended on a rock over the river, and in a blink of the eye he had crossed my path to climb up on a rock overlooking the path on the right. All the while chatting like a tree rat and describing his view in detail, many times declaring that I should drag myself up to his position and see what he could see.
His sister on the other hand has a very organized and determined brain. She overheard the ranger say that every 200 ft. the trail would be marked with red paint on the trunk of a tree. Her four mile hike was reduced to multiple 200 ft. intervals. Her only mission? Find the next mark!
In collecting rocks, they had a common interest.
My slow meandering trail gradually became a steep rock climbing experience that even drained the energy of my small people.
When we reached the end of the four mile trail all of the snacks had been consumed and the natives were crying for more food. Once their bellies were full we started the drive home, and they were able to sleep and arrive back at the hotel refreshed. Mom on the other hand was a walking zombie. When they cried out, "Let's go play wii in The Pub downstairs." She growled in response, "We are bathing and going to bed." However, she did consent to a quick walk down on the golf course to feed the geese. As they were chunking pieces of hot dog buns to the hungry beaks, I reflected on how much more refreshing a hike in the woods is without children. But their exclamations of "This is the greatest day ever," are music to my ears, too.
And this is...Day 3 in Atlanta...A Day in the Life of a Middle Aged Mother.
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