In order to hike with a four year old, you need a short hike with a big reward. I have managed to find several for this summer and am looking forward doing them all with Little Man; if he does not give me a heart attack first (note to self: strap a parachute to Little Man the next time we go hiking). If today is any gauge on the rest of the summer, we are quickly cultivating an adventurous little boy, although I think it may be hard to tear him away from his new favorite spot.
To start our little adventure, we drove through Smuggler's Notch. For anyone who has never been in this area, let me provide you with a little history. Smugglers used to hide in the many caves in this area and now there is a road that literally snakes around boulders with a parking lot at the top for hikers, rock climbers, tourists and excited little boys. He did not take his eyes off the road the entire drive up the mountain and I thought we were going to have to pry him out of one of the many caves when it was time to go. He made sure (before he started his descent off the mountain) that I promised that we would return, SOON!!!!
Our other bribe to get Little Man off the mountain was the promise of a Nutragrain bar when we reached the waterfall at our next destination. Yes, we were crazy enough to fit two small hikes into one day. While the view was amazing, there were plenty of rocks to throw into the river and he was able to eat his bar, Little Man let me know as often as he could that his favorite spot was the caves, or in his words they are "so amazing" and that was the location we should return to on our next adventure, no side trips to pretty waterfalls.
Overall a good day, and both Andy and I did manage to actually get our workouts in tonight, although I am almost 100% sure we both wanted to bail. I actually had to force myself back onto the treadmill after getting off and saying I was done after one lap.
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