Wednesday, January 11, 2012

True grit

I don't know many 3-year-olds who can hike 6.2 miles totally on their own two feet. I certainly don't know many mamas who would ask her 3-year-old to do such a thing. (How cruel, right?) But there IS one daddy who would. And he did. And that 3-year-old kicked some trail booty. So did his 5-year-old sister.

It's one of my favorite hikes. Twin Arches trail in Big South Fork. Beautiful and dramatic. And the pictures just don't do it justice.

So first an easy 0.7 miles to the loop's start, down, down, down a long flight of stairs. Then a 4.8-mile loop, the last mile of which switchbacks up, up, up the mountain. Then 0.7 back up the steps to the car. Total trip time: 6 long hours.



Down down down



Leading the squeeze 


Sand angels


A little rest

Hope it's not a poison ivy vine!
Where's Waldo?





Extracting Daddy's cap from the sand

"Here, Daddy."

Leading the way

Walking with purpose

Wiped out but the end is in sight 
"This is hard work," he says. 

The last pull to the top
Yay, we made it! We're almost ready for the Ironman.