Today, we spent some time hiking the Desolation Wilderness which is located along the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, southwest of Lake Tahoe. Desolation Wilderness is known for its barren rocky terrain running along the edge of the tree lines and for its shallow, clear pools of water scattered throughout the region. It was a beautiful Fall day today - the leaves are beginning to turn colors and the temperatures a comfortable 70 degrees. The leaves turning colors in the Fall season has always been one of my favorite displays of nature - rich hues of yellow, orange and fire red sprinkling the trees is, in a word, spectacular. And, in my humble opinion, there is no better place (close to our home) than a drive through the Sierra Nevada mountain range to enjoy these Fall colors.
Mike and I love hiking, and we love giving Paige and Taylor the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors with us. We also think of hiking as one of those family pasttimes that parents and children can really do together! Over the past couple of years, Mike and I have sought out opportunities where we can introduce Paige and Taylor to hiking. It's a great way to create memories as we explore our surroundings on a hike. And, hiking seems to be one of those things that we can do at any age and in any location. Mike and I hope that by introducing hiking to Paige and Taylor at such a young age that they will grow to enjoy a life-long journey of exploring the world around them and the beauty of the world that God has created.
So, we took to the trails of Desolation Wilderness today. We climbed some strenuous hills and talked with each other about the rocks we were climbing over and on. We explored the trails and the woods at the twins' pace, allowing them to stop and look at the trees, plants, leaves, rocks along the way. We picked up pine cones. We found walking sticks. We skipped stones across the shallow pools of water. We walked along the waters' edge, holding their hands much of the time to keep them safe. As we did, we also talked about how hiking is a lot of fun, but that we have to stay together and hold hands sometimes so that we all stay safe. And, that's another thing that I love about hiking as a family - the teachable moments you have with your children. You give your kids a chance to explore their world and have a ton of fun doing it, while at the same time you create an opportunity to talk about how to enjoy their world and how to stay safe.
As I now sit and write this post, I am completely spent. So is Mike. As much fun as it was hiking today, I will confess that between making sure the twins didn't tumble off a boulder, helping them as needed to scale the rocks, and keeping them from slipping on rocks in the pools of water, our hike was also pretty exhausting at day's end.
It was a very fun day, but y'know kids, they have no concept of fear, no concept of heights, so you're constantly one step ahead and one step behind them all the time. I think we will remember this day and the memories we made for a long time, and I also think that we will all sleep very soundly tonight.
