I finally made it to Lula Lake Land Trust but not without some setbacks. On Saturday we planned a family hike, because we got word that the trails were open (they only open a few days out of the month). We had a plan and were headed that way, until Burl heard about a hike and said, "I want to stay here with my daddy and do Legos." It was so sweet and pleading (and John wasn't feeling 100%) that we decided to leave the boys at home and hit the trails.
Here's how things went: We choose the shorter, more direct route to the falls. However, I forgot Fern's shoes and she was in flip flops. Even though she wanted to walk, the dirt and rocks that kept hitting her toes in the flops were too much for her. Oh, the drama. She wanted to be carried, so I carried her. Then, I forced her to walk. Then, I carried her. There was a pattern. Until I ran into a friend who was at the end of his hike with his baby on his back. We exchanged a few words and next thing I know, he was taking his baby backpack carrier off his back and let me have it. All the glory in all the land!!! My friends helped me get Fern in the pack and off we went.
Eventually she was happy and jovial again. I ran into the wives a little bit later who gave us juice boxes and leftover goldfish and all was right in the world again. (Well, she was still feeling to shy to come out from hiding for a picture.)
It wasn't until we were alone by the water, getting our feet wet, that she was back to happy again. She asked me to sit on the rock next to her and take my shoes off like she did. She could have stayed in the spot for a long time, and honestly I wanted to stay much longer as well. We called it a day and headed back, and I was able to point out a patch of ferns. I even picked one for her, because I'm a wild rule breaker.
Our hike at Lula Lake was anything but flawless and easy, but it was a great example of hiking with toddlers. It will not stop us though.
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