Taking a Hike

We have spent a lovely, uninterrupted weekend together here, the highlight of which was a new adventure to Calvert Cliffs State Park for a little family hike.

It was cold, but sunshine and exercise made it comfortable. We all bundled up and set off on the 1.8 mile walk to the beach. William rode in the backpack for the first time and loved it, and Amy very enthusiastically walked along under her own power (taking a hike was, in fact, her idea).

The path was simply beautiful - easy walking through the woods, over bridges, and alongside a perky little stream that had Amy completely captivated.

Don was "wearing" the boy, and I was wearing the backpack with our lunch and other gear, and had my camera strapped to my front. To avoid too many stops for pictures I found myself just clicking the shutter once in awhile to see what I could capture - shooting from the hip, I suppose. I really liked the results!

But some cuteness still required a more carefully aimed lens.

We hoped to make it to the beach to eat our lunch, but the wind was getting stronger and everyone was hungry, so we stopped at the 0.9 mile marker for a picnic on a nice little bare patch by the stream.

Amy loved this spot and quietly ate 1.5 sandwiches. William just really wanted to eat some rocks. Or crawl down the bank. Our prevention of these two activities made him really mad. Amy was getting tired too, so we decided to quit while we were ahead and walk back to the car. Don and I were a little disappointed not to finish the hike to the beach, but we were also quite pleased to have had such a successful adventure with our very small companions.

Even if one of them fell asleep on the walk back.