Hiking with Kids: Mushroom Rock

One of our favorite things about where we currently live is that an 8-minute drive takes us to Prentice Cooper State Park where we have a network of trails (totaling 35 miles) at our disposal.

Back in October we attempted the hike to Mushroom Rock. But instead found ourselves wandering in the woods for a couple of hours, missing the turn that would have lead us to the giant shaped mushroom in the forest.

Yesterday, thanks to a better map, GPS coordinates and a new series of signs that someone has placed on the trail, we redeemed ourselves.

With 35 miles of trails, it is easy to make a wrong turn before finding your destination. I counted the intersection of 5 trails when we finally arrived at the well-known rock.

I think this is the longest hike that Jack has completed to date. At 2.6 miles round trip we can tell he is getting stronger and building endurance, while hopefully also learning to love the outdoors as much as we do. For now, Isaac continues to just be along for the ride.

I'm so glad we took the opportunity to spend time together, outside, as a family. Last weekend we enjoyed sledding at our neighborhood park, this weekend it was 60º and we had fun exploring the forest.

A couple of funny things Jack said while we hiked:
"It [the map] says there is mud ahead."

"I'm a good trail runner."
We saw quite a few people running on the trail while we were out and Jack was totally fascinated (his daddy is very proud). 

He would vacillate between saying he was exhausted (and sitting down in the middle of the trail) and taking off running saying that he was a good trail runner or that the trail runner (him) was going to win the race back to the car.

At the very end of our hike, I was pretending to race him back to the car, and he took my hand and said that we could walk and finish together and both win. Then as soon as we were within 30 feet of the car, the little rascal took off at a dead sprint and beat me. He totally played me!

This was Isaac's first time riding in the Deuter Kid Comfort Carrier II and he did great, even taking a brief nap.

Trail Stats:
Trailhead: Shackleford Ridge to Mushroom Rock
Mileage: 1.3 miles each way
Time on the Trail (with kids): 1 hour 45 min
Max Speed: 3.6 mph (Jack may have gone faster since he jogged part of the time)

Looking forward to more days in the woods with our boys.

Hiking with Kids: Prentice Cooper

The last few days have been perfect examples of how I expect autumn to be. The air is crisp, the sky is blue, the leaves are falling, and the sun is warm. It's my favorite time of the year.

With such a gorgeous day on our hands, we felt like we couldn't waste it inside, so we gathered our brood and headed to Prentice Cooper State Park for a little walk in the woods.

Initially we planned to do a short hike from Shackleford Ridge Park to Mushroom Rock.

Unfortunately, we took a wrong turn somewhere and didn't make it to Mushroom Rock. Jack was disappointed, but since we live here, it will be easy to go back again.

This was Jack's longest hike to date – completing just under 2 miles round trip.

Almost as soon as we got in the woods he started complaining about being tired. We have discovered that he just needs a little motivation and encouragement to keep moving. And maybe a game.

I suggested he pick up the brightest red leaves he could find. It was a good distraction to keep him from whining, but it morphed into him wanting to try to pick up every leaf on the trail.

It's fall, there are a million leaves on the trail...

He also likes to throw rocks. Since that is bad trail etiquette, and he could hurt someone, we are trying to stop this before it turns into a bad habit.

So we helped him find a walking stick. The stick also doubles as a sword, amongst other things while walk.

When he says that he is low on energy, we stop for a water or snack break and then say, "Power up and Energize" like the transformers say in the TV show RescueBots.

As soon as he says it, he always starts sprinting down the trail. So much for not having any energy.

Hiking with a 3-year-old is challenging because it takes forever and requires a lot of patience and imagination to keep your kid motivated.

As for hiking with a baby, I carry Isaac on these walks (for now) and he sleeps for half the hike. When he is awake, he enjoys looking at the sunlight filtering through the trees.

Daniel wears our bigger backpack carrier in case Jack refuses to continue walking, but he is starting to build up stamina and seems to enjoy our outings in the woods.

We wrapped up our day by driving out to Cracker Barrel for supper. Jack passed out in the car and slept right up until our food arrived.

After supper, Daniel taught him how to play checkers. It was a perfect day. Power up and Energize!