We started out knowing that the hike would be 9 miles. This was daunting, but sounded fine on paper. M had received advice from others to make sure that we brought plenty of water. So, we put on some comfy shoes, filled up our clean canteens and camel back, packed a lunch, and headed out. We began our journey at 9:15 with laughter, teasing, and excitement to see the falls.
These first pictures were taken at our first water break. We were all being a bit silly. M and the boys were "pretending" that they were SO tired (little did they know what was ahead). :)
This picture pretty much summed up the whole hike. Our daddy is such a good leader. He kept everyone looking ahead to the goal at hand. He was good about setting little goals along the way. He was silly (of course) and incredibly encouraging. At this point of our hike, we were in great anticipation of seeing the falls, but enjoying all of the nature along the way. The following pictures are of a smaller falls along the way, Bald Rock in the distance, and a tiny ladybug.
We ended up carrying sweet Little B for just about half of the hike. She sure was a trooper, but we quickly came to realize that this particular hike was a bit much for her. I was so proud of the boys as they just kept pushing ahead, complaining little, and finding joy along the way. Z and I realized that we share a love for wild flowers. We saw some of the most interesting ones along the way. Z would then proceed to give me one fact or another about a wild flower that he had read about. We also kept ourselves entertained by singing songs along the way...some serious, some silly. The silly ones were the most fun!
Finally, after hiking for 5 miles (4 1/2 miles along the trail and then another 1/2 mile to the lookout point of the falls), we reached the waterfall! It was a gorgeous view! We saw a beautiful rainbow in the mist of the waterfall. The lookout point was incredibly high up. I have a small fear of heights...ok, a big fear of heights, so I was on edge as the kids were at the fenced edge looking down at the waterfall and a cute little hummingbird hanging out. Hikers around us were pulling out their lunches and beginning to munch. Why not? It was 12:30! Yikes...we left our lunch at the car to have a wonderful picnic lunch after the hike! We did not think that it was going to take us quite so long. We still had five miles to hike back! Fortunately, we had plenty of water, glucose tablets, and grape juice in case my blood sugar went low. Thank you, honey, for packing the grape juice!
So, we began the journey back. We were in complete awe of the waterfall and talked about it as we made our way back to the 4 1/2 mile trail. Little B was beginning to wilt at this point. Again, we carried her and she walked here and there. When she walked, she would stop and pick up a stick, pause to break it in half, and continue on. At one of these pit stops she said, "Hold on, I'm going to throw this into the country!" I giggled. Along the way our little cutie fell asleep! Carrying 33 pounds is tough as you are hiking along an uneven trail, but carrying a sleeping 33 pounder is even more tough! Fortunately, she did not sleep too long. At one point of her nap I decided to put her "into" the camel back. I used it as a Baby Bjorn almost. Boy, did it help with the weight!
At this point of our hike everyone was having a hard time. We were so tired, hungry, sore, and grumpy. Who came to the rescue? Daddy! He gave us another goal. If we could make it back to the car by 3:09 (two hours), then we would go to Gold Country casino's buffet for dinner (and make healthy food choices of course). Boy, did this put a skip in the boys' steps! They were so excited to have something to work for!
Well, we did it! We saw cars ahead and the boys started hollering and jumping around. We did it, we did it! We walked into the parking lot at 3:07. Phew! We sat down and ate the picnic lunch that we had brought. Boy did that food taste good! Little B was in her carseat eating her sandwich as I was watching. She would take a bite and as she chewed she would doze off. Then she would wake up enough to take another bite and then doze off again while she chewed. It was so cute.
All in all it was an amazing Father's Day! We accomplished our goal, daddy was blessed, and we had fun! Our sore bodies are proof that we hiked every one of those ten miles!
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