Hiking in Colorado

We took Ben on his first hike ~ in the backpack ~ and Cailey's first independent hike...no more backpack for her! They both did a great job and we hiked for about an hour and 45 minutes. Ben fell asleep in the backpack on the way down, but woke up in time to wade in the river...a little family tradition :o) It was nice to get out of the house and spend time together without spending a lot of money :o) Of course, we had to stop at the Beau Joe's Pizza place in Idaho Springs after our hike...another tradition! Cailey did much better than I thought she would...with several "rests" ~ her idea...because Mom and Dad didn't need to rest..nope, no way, not us...we're in perfect shape (HA!). Cailey also loved finding walking sticks along the way. We told her how Grandpa Rich always finds a walking stick for our hikes and she loved the idea and used a walking stick for most of time. Ben loved the sound of the echos through the mountains and he loved all the dogs that we saw along the way ~ people sure do love to bring their dogs on hikes. We stopped at the top (well, almost the top) and ate our oranges and rice krispy treats...yet another tradition, thanks to Grandma Kathryn! We got some great pictures and we are planning on another hike this weekend...I hope! It's great exercise for all of us ~ especially Scott who gets to carry Ben (yikes!) in the backpack ~ that's no small feat and I admire my husband for being able to manage the hike with Ben on his back :o)

Hiking is so much fun!
Resting to eat snacks before heading back down the mountain:

A little exploring out of the backpack:

Wading in the river:

Aaaahhhhh ~ now that's cute!