Tales of Hiking Hadley Peak

Today DB took the day off so we could have a family activity day. We always look forward to these times and spend quite a bit of time deciding what to do. It was nearly unanimous that we would take a hike. BW wasn't as keen on this idea as he regularly hikes and stayed up til 2 am with his buddy the night before. Teens!! But nonetheless he went. And it's a good thing he did, but I'll get to that in a minute. So we started out with just the five of us. Then each boy asked to bring a friend, or two. So our group grew to eight as we made the drive to the trailhead. The more the merrier is what we say. It was a brisk fall day, cool and fairly clear. The kind I like for hiking. No sweating, no bugs and the cold is motivation to keep moving! LL rode in the Ergo Baby carrier, snug as a bug with BW for the first leg of our hike. I have to say, it was my plan to carry her myself. But I am honest enough to say, I could have never made it. The trail started out steep, rocky and ICY right away. Yes I said icy. This was a suprise to us all. Naturally this slowed us down and made for some tricky footing. This mountain holds a suprise we did not know of too. The beginning is tough then as you approach the summit it gets much easier. Mostly due to the switchbacks. Endurance and surefooting are the keys to success on this trail. We reached the summit just at noon, hungry and ready to rest our legs. This is LL's first peak and it was exciting to show her the view from the top. This is keeping with a family tradition. Both BB and BW bagged their first peak before they were three. LL is no different. We all enjoyed a quick lunch, a few photos, chatting with other hikers and of course the view. Then it was back on the trail again. The weather had changed as we were climbing and the wind was strong. LL is not quite ready for that for too long. The hike down got a little noisy as naptime approached. By now DB was carrying LL and feeling at a loss for comforting her. ML tried a few things but none helped. So, we proceeded even though the crying continued. Shortly thereafter it became apparent that LL needed a change. So, trailside we took care of that problem. It was breezy and cold, but hey we're pros. If there were a pit crew for diapering we'd be Crew Chiefs! After that, and an oatmeal raisin cookie, LL settled down on DB's back for a nap. So cute! The five boys made record time on the way down, naturally. And had fun snacking, goofing and challenging each other all along the way. I'm sure though, that the trail's end looked good to them too. I know this because we were not in the car for more than 20 minutes and ALL of them were sound asleep, too funny! Heads bobbing, snoring and ipods blaring. Now that's tired! All in all it was a good day. DB and ML are pleasantly tired and happy to have had a day of fun with the kids and lots of fresh air.