On Saturday we went for a hike…somewhere. I’ll be honest, I have no idea what the place is called. Let’s call it “Ten Minutes Away.” Hiking Ten Minutes Away was one of my impetuous, spur of the moment decisions that, thankfully, worked out just as planned. I can’t complain about the exhaustion or wobbly, sore leg muscles because, sadly, that was planned. Anticipated is a better word. Put it this way: no surprise there.
Before we left for Ten Minutes Away, Mikey wanted a catalog of the wild animals we might encounter and whether we were bringing a safety kit. Oh, my darling oldest child. I told him not to worry. I have been an oldest child for longer than he can imagine and that I had everything researched and prepared. The Mister rolled his eyes. Nicholas pulled the dog’s tail.
You know how it’s popular to take pictures of people from behind? This is not me trying to be artsy. This is me taking a picture of the only view I had. People. Ahead of me. Laughing…talking…not feeling the burn.
In the distance you can see one of the summits we wanted to reach. Believe it or not, we made it! I made it. There wasn’t any worries that the boys or The Mister wouldn’t make it. Cardiovascular wise, I did fine. I didn’t get winded or short of breath or even uncomfortable–aside from what you would expect from exercising. The only thing I found difficult was the way the lactic acid in my thighs made my legs feel like campfire marshmallows at the wrong end of the stick. You gotta love the way blogging makes your muscles atrophy.
That’s an orange grove near the bottom of each picture. Once we reached the summit, I thought we might do something reasonable, like turn around and hike back down. Mikey had other plans.
He decided at the one mile mark that we were on an adventure, and that what we needed to do was plow ahead and find “shelter” so we could build a fire and keep warm. (In the heat.) I told him we had shelter, and it’s name was Jeep Liberty. Mr. Jeep Liberty in the Parking Lot, III. Then he looked at me with those big gray eyes of his and I said FINE. Let’s go find “shelter.”
One of the best things about being a mom to boys is that you can stop in the middle of a dirt path and say, “Oh! Pretty rock!” and they will clamor to see who can dig it out first. They also give you flowers to put in your hair. It’s all very sweet, even the part when one of them says, “Here you go mama. This flower is because I love you. Shake out the ants, first.”
The time outdoors as a family was great, as was the exercise for my blogger’s booty. But the best thing about the hike?
Worth it’s weight in lactic acid, I tell you.
The last picture is completely priceless.
“10 minutes away” looks gorgeous.
Ah, flower delivery with “bonus material” who else can offer such sweet gifts.
I’m always behind my crew when we hike. So I have lots of back shots too. At least “we” take time to enjoy the scenery while legs burn. Ha
Last photo is sweet…
Ah! The NAP! Spoken like a true mom.
hahahaha that last picture is perfection!
I had someone question me on my blog why so many of my shots are from behind. Number one the post was about my preschool class and I didn’t want to post faces, and number 2 that’s how we see our children 99% of the time, right? Always ahead, running to be first. Discovering and exploring. Plus, like you, I’m not always the best at keeping up LOL.
PS- I love that you titled the last picture “Eat Mattress” LOL!
Aaaah, good times!
I hiked Tablerock once {my Ten Minutes Away}. It’s a hill … that feels like a mountain … with a lighted cross at top. People love the hike for the scenery … I prefer to use a zoom lense myself. But, alas, I was talked into it once … with my mom and a friend … who traipsed up the hill like it was nothing. I kept telling them to leave me for dead, but they would have none of it. Wretched luck. I nearly made it to the top when I started getting light headed. I had to sit on a rock … and unbutton my top button before I could commence. :)
You’re right. That is worth it’s weight in lactic acid. ;) And that view would be worth it all. We have NOTHING like that around here.
Lol, I liked this post, and then I googled “lactic acid” and I liked it even more. Just needed a quick science class refresher :) Thanks for the excuse to learn!
That last picture is the best! It never worked on ours though. They were, and still are, incombustible.
wow beautiful…i want to go to Ten Minutes Away… :)
I swear my kids never fall asleep like that. I’m not complaining, they’re actually great sleepers, but they never just “pass out” like that. Maybe I’m not working em hard enough!
That’s 10 Minutes Away from an Inland Empire location? I can’t wait till you start sharing these spots. Your 10 minutes is probably my 60 minutes – totally worth it for that view, even if the view would also include my family from behind. Way behind. I’d probably need the zoom lens to make sure they were in the shot. But still, totally worth it.
10 Minutes from my house, yes! :)
“Ten minutes away” is actually called Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park…and it’s one of our family’s favorite spots! Wander to the right, down the barely distinguishable trail that veers off the first main trail, and you’ll eventually find yourself in an avocado grove that we’ve yet to determine the ownership of. That lack of a clearly marked property line sometimes gives us license to ‘borrow’ a few avocados when they’re in season…though that justification may just be our moral codes on brief “healthy fat” derived hiatuses. :)