Yesterday was the kind of day I've been waiting for for months. The kind of day where we could get outside and enjoy what Mother Nature has to offer. So, after a morning appointment with their pediatrician in the big city, my kids and I headed out to one of our local bike trails for some exercise in the fresh air and sunshine. It was the first hike of the year for us, and my daughter's first ever.

You could consider it a mini mock bug-out for us since we're still adjusting to getting out of the house with our new family member. While my son got his bike, I loaded my daughter into her jogging stroller and added a diaper bag, a bottle of formula for the her, a bottle of water and some snacks for my son and I, an extra blanket and our jackets. It took a little longer than we've become accustomed to, but eventually we were off!

The trail was soaked (but not completely swamped) and there were still snowy patches, but the birds were chirping and the sun was shining. Jonas climbed a tree, we found all kinds of treasures, picked up some garbage, collected some tinder for our next campfire, threw sticks into the hugest puddle either of us has ever seen, stopped at the park for a while, let Abby feel the sunlight on her face without any barriers between them for the first time ever, and generally enjoyed a wonderful afternoon together.

Loaded and ready to go:





Some of the fun we had along the way:


Water, water everywhere!




We found lots of downed wood and tinder material


The melting snow is revealing more and more garbage - some of it is useful, like this peanut butter jar with lid. We also found a piece of tyvek, some plastic sheeting and a bunch of cans and bottles.




It was beautiful! Hopefully this is really the start of Spring and we can start getting out there more often. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Awesome!!!

Thanks for sharing your little one's first trip. Knowing you, this will be the first of many great adventures. Cherish every moment, time flies so quickly and before you know it they are grown with their own families.

My oldest daughter and my one and only grandchild (granddaughter) came up this past weekend. It snowed here, so I was able to take her on her first sledding excursion. Brought back many memories from when her mom was small.

Enjoy Life-
Pete

This reminds me of a hike on my brother's first birthday, where he took his first steps.

Whaaatt??? Where's the snow? Or did Wiarton Willy get his forecast right this year for you?

Over here, it's just starting to melt today with the sun although it hasn't got to 0* yet. 2 metres of snow takes a while to get rid of!

Looks like fun!

Glad your young ones are enjoying themselves.

When I see bottles with something in them, I usually open them and let their contents be accessible to critters. In this case , peanut butter is attractive to many creatures besides humans. In our neck of the woods I most frequently see a bottle of water. So, I open it and pour the water under a tree.

A racoon or squirrel ( or bear) will lick the peanut butter and polish that jar sparkling clean !
Something to think about for the next trip.