A Hiking We Go

High adventurers, that is what we are Blakie and I. Today we gave the new Ergo carrier a good run and I can assure you it was certainly worth the hype and money. Both K.B. and I were very comfortable. He slept and I carried him uphill and down without even needing to stop. We were both troopers of epic proportion to say the least. The only one who struggled was Pepper, poor thing. 

On our way up we did not realize exactly how hot it was. Fortunately a few splashes in the cold water revived her. Unfortunately, on the way back she was desperate to stop several times. When she just couldn't take it any more she burrowed into the underbrush and would immediately lay down. It took us a minute to get the hint, but after this happened twice we decided she needed us to stop. So we would rest and spray her down with water. She would lay there panting for and then we would get moving again. Once we hit the shaded areas she did much better. I guess all that black fur and hot, hot dirt made for the worst combination. 

I was amazed, and I confess, a little disappointed at how many people were on the trail. When it comes to being one with nature I follow the mantra that less is more. I like to travel the forests with an intimate group of people rather than a crowd. This is likely why I always kept with the front of the pack when we went on hikes as a youth group. My best fried and I were always the first girls to make it to the top of anything. I loved it because it was always quieter up front. Also we could spot more animals before the rest of the stompers, shouters, and singers scared them off. This trip, though we did not go with a hoard of people, there were many people hiking the trail that day; too many in my opinion. What was once a fairly solitary journey became a mob scene with only a few spaces of solace between. Don't get me wrong, it was fun, but it would have been more fun without the hoard. 

When we got back to civilization and the Grandparent's we rinsed off and cooled off in the kiddie pool. After a quick dip Pepper was as nimble and spry as ever. She chased the soccer ball with Tio for a few rounds. But after we gave her an hour of shade and cold water she was ready for a nap. We all were except for Blake, who really just wanted to climb all over his mommy.