Or should I title this post, "What was I Thinking?" Since Jared was out of town last weekend, the girls decided to take a hike through Fox Forest in Hillsborough. Fox Forest is a popular hiking and snowshoeing spot that is pretty accessible with relatively easy trails. This is how we started the hike:
It was a relatively warm morning with a bit of drizzle, but not enough to keep us home. The trail appeared to be pretty well packed so I laced up my boots, donned my ice creepers, heaved Clara onto my back and we headed into the woods. We heard the birds singing, the brook babbling, and then we heard this:
I wasn't really sure what caused the outburst, but in the middle of the trail, not even a mile in, the peaceful still air was shattered. "No, Mama!" We stopped, had a drink of water and a snack. Then a certain two legged being wanted me to carry her back to the car - without the backpack. Normally, Clara is so excited to jump in the backpack, she can hardly stand it. Despite the cries of protest, she stuffed her legs into the backpack and we turned around. I'm not sure what happened in those few minutes that we stopped, but all of a sudden the trail was mush. After I post-holed to my thigh a few times while singing "Pat-a-Cake," the peace returned:
This time, peace came in the form of snoring. Looking back, I think the combination of the mittens (blocking the coveted sucking thumb) and the hat (blocking the coveted twirling hair spot) really caused a problem. Even though it was 10:00 in the morning, not really Clara's prime napping time, there was no stopping her. We made it safely back to the car where we had more snacks, loaded up, and headed home. Clara took a three-hour nap later that afternoon. Thank goodness, because Elsi and I were wiped out!
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