Labor Day Hike

I woke up this morning to Eric presenting the idea of going to Four Peaks and hiking. He thought we could pack a lunch and eat it before we started hiking and stop just outside the valley for dinner. I didn't like the idea of driving on a dirt road for one hour to get to the trailhead, but I was really wanting to get out of the house, so I agreed. We got a late start (it always seems to take us at least an extra 10 minutes to get ready to leave the house to go anywhere), but headed out.

The drive to the turn off was short, but then the dirt road began. We drove for about an hour on it, being jostled around. I was worried about Colton and being shaken too much, but he actually seemed to enjoy it and sleep right through it. Occasionally his head would tip forward when we were driving on an incline and Lindsey would help to prop his head up. We made it to the trailhead. There was such a change of scenery. We went from cactus to pine trees. There was also a drastic drop in temperature. The kids were actually cold. The weather was perfect. It started out sprinkling, but then the clouds would come and go.

There's a lake in the distance!

Lindsey, Logan, and Kaylen started to get tired during the hike. Lindsey also didn't wear the right shoes, so I took them and Colton back down the mountain. Eric, Spencer, and Purple decided to continue and hike to the top of the mountain. Colton did great throughout the hike. He loved being in the baby carrier. He enjoyed the movement and got fussy when we stopped to rest (this also happened with the dirt road on the way back - he was fine when we were moving, but got fussy when we stopped driving). I fed Colton once we made it down. The kids played, collecting rocks and wood. They made a little campfire. It took Eric a while to come back down the mountain, so we had to push Colton around in the stroller. We had an interesting experience with a man in the parking lot (read the following post about a stronger testimony).

We were able to watch the sunset - I loved it. We finally made it back home at 9:30. It was a fun adventure.