In Pursuit of a Hike

Here is a summary of the conversations taking place in our house this summer. Boys: Can we watch t.v.? Me: Sure Boys: Can we play on the Xbox? Me: Sure Boys: Can we go on a bike ride? Me: Sure Boys: Can we go to the Nature Center? Me: Sure Boys: Can we play in the sprinkler? Me: Sure You get the point. We aren't checking off any to do lists this summer. In fact, there have been many days that I wake up and think, "Today is the day I will make a to do list," and then the boys ask to go to the park, and I say, "sure." Because that's the kind of summer we all need. Not one that is scheduled from dusk to dawn, and not one that has us all stressing about what we need to get done before tomorrow. It has been lovely I tell you. We've been on a few local hikes and have been to the creek a few times. We've been to Eagle Bluffs to see the landscape and we watched the sunset over the river. We've chased a few rainbows and we've played in the rain. We re...

We constantly have hiking on the brain in our house. We watch the weather and plan possible hiking days well in advance. We always have our backpacks ready to go at a moment's notice, and we often are making lists of future hikes to try out. The whole state of Missouri is sprinkled with state parks, interesting geological features, and endless miles of trails that we can't wait to cover. The boys have been on the trail with us since they could walk on their own and we have never looked back. We started with small, easy trails, and the length of the trails have grown as the boys have. Our boys are always excited to hike. It's part of who they are now too, which makes us so happy. There are some things we've learned along the way that make hiking more of an adventure and less of a stressful family outing.  1.) Know your kids' limits. Seriously. You will ruin hiking for them if you push them too hard. Even if it seems like your kids have the energ...