Extenuating circumstances made us wing this hike rather than plan ahead. Friday afternoon Erin got a call from daycare saying Alden had a fever and red eyes. Neither of those appeared to be true Friday night when he was home, but since it was unclear if he'd be up for a hike today, I didn't set Frankie's alarm for this morning. When morning rolled around, Alden still displayed no signs of sickness, and both boys wanted to hike. However, without the alarm (and without me getting up even earlier to prepare Frankie's breakfast so it would be waiting for him when the alarm went off), we were running way behind schedule. Beaver Lake was the obvious choice: short hike, short drive, and of course, the Bog Trail is a perennial kid favorite.
I'm glad we ended up going, because we had a ton of fun once we got there. Nevertheless, it is horribly stressful trying to get Frankie moving in the morning. And when he knows we're in a hurry, and still takes way longer than a normal school day to eat his breakfast, it is had to maintain my cool. It just feels like a huge affront. I shouldn't have to remind him to take each bite (which is literally what Erwin used to do every morning before school). Anyway, I am ashamed to say I was bitter and grumpy for the entire drive out there. I wouldn't even play along with his dumb knock knock jokes. It was like a case study in what NOT to do, how NOT to build happy associations with hiking. Luckily Erin and Alden were there to make sure we had fun, and my blood pressure dropped immediately once we hit the trail. However, Frankie definitely did some acting out on the hike. Such a huge contrast from his good behavior at Three Rivers last time we all got together. Karma, I guess.
I'll have to be extra mindful to be patient and cultivate a happy experience next time we get out hiking, whenever that might be. Unfortunately, it won't be next Saturday, as Frankie has a birthday party to attend.
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| adjusting mittens |
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| these two little weirdos stop, drop, and roll immediately upon arrival at the tower |
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| purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) |
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