Noah's been bugging us about wanting to go on a hike, so Saturday I took the boys to Minor Park for a walk in the woods. Minor is a nice little area that runs along the Blue River, but most of it is low-lying, and it when it rains, as it had the previous few days, the trails get very muddy.
We walked along the sloppy trails until we found the perfect spot to partake in the perfect hike activity - snack time! The boys sat on a big rock eating and making each other laugh for a good 20 minutes.
On a side note, as they sat there and ate, I thought about all the hours I spent in my younger, single days mountain biking these trails. I came out on a cold fall day 18 years ago - the first place I ever rode a mountain bike on real singletrack trails, and where I fell in love with the sport. I lived nearby at the time, and it was a little wistful thinking about how few obligations I had then and how easy it was just to come out here for a few hours after work, then go back and hang out doing nothing. This spot where we sat and ate was one of my favorite places to come barreling down the bike trail and then launch into and across the Blue River - the crossing you see in the picture below. It was a little surreal to be thinking about those times, and looking at my boys in this same place so many years later.
Then it was down to business. Throwing rocks in the water. When I finally pried them away a half hour later, both boys whined and cried like I'd put them in time out. They could have done this all day.
Along the way back, we took a trail that led us to some tennis courts. Of course they had to stop and chase each other around.
A little while later we stopped in a field to play some more and roll down hills.
They were a muddy mess by the time I got back to the van, but I brought trashbags for just such an occasion.
Later that day, Noah and I went on a bike ride to Arno Park, where he decided to climb a tree.
The end.
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