Despite its inauspicious start, the rest of the hike was quite enjoyable. It was one of those lovely mid-seventies, sunny, bug-free days that are almost unbearably pleasant. We went down the trail a bit (to put some distance between us and the men who terrified Alice) and then went off the trail to find some nice logs for Alice to play on. Staying true to form, as soon as I sat on a log, Alice sat down next to me and declared, "I want a snack." So we had our mid-morning snack, then she played with sticks and leaves and wandered around a bit. Zac showed her how new trees sometimes grow out of the fallen down, rotting logs, so Alice spent a good deal of time picking apart a rotten log and putting a stick in it to grow into a new tree.
After a while, we went further down the trail until we got to a little creek. After another snack, Alice played happily at the water's edge, throwing sand and rocks into the stream. But, eventually she realized she could take her socks and shoes off and wade in the water. Zac showed her a crawdad, and later they found some tadpoles, which was super exciting because she had learned about those at school. We also saw some frogs on the sandy beach.
The hike back up the hill and all the way back to the van was a bit rougher than the way down, mainly because Alice was worn out and needed carried most of the time. But all in all, it was a gorgeous day to spend in the woods.
What we do best: snack.
Alice pulling apart a rotting fallen tree
Alice planting a "new tree" in the rotten one
Wading
