Beginning Steps

I hate hiking. I do. Since the days when I was on trail crew, stomping around in big work boots, hauling between 50 to 80 pounds of gear over way too long trails. My worst hike ever was when I worked for the SCA (Student Conservation Association, not the other one) and it was our crew's week off after three straight weeks of work. We were hiking up the Sandias Mountains, right outside Albuquerque, to camp out our last night together. I was not a pretty sight. A young, awkward, although strong teenager, all I had in terms of shoes were my big, knee high leather work boots, absolutely perfect for days of slogging through mud, carrying rocks and building trails in the hinterlands of New Mexico. The boots had served me well. They were abysmal for a light day hike, straight up to the top. I also, despite four years at college in an Outdoor Education program, have a tendency to over pack. I bring too much stuff. My rational self knows better, and knows that packing light is the order of the day, and yet...

Although recently I've come to terms with this. I have a vehicle and I don't venture far from her and so over packing doesn't matter! I have reached a happy medium with bringing too much stuff and not enough stuff where Kaeden is involved, thankfully. The Ergo is always packed with the bare minimum for emergencies: Baby wipes, spare diaper, butt cream, snack. That is enough to hold off most blow ups or blow outs, wherever we end up. 

Today, we added a bottle of water and a husband and headed out for the day. After a week spent either running errands, or working around our house setting it up or just wandering around inside, I finally packed Kade and Tristan into the car for a short five minute drive to Table Rock. People around here have such creative names-Table Rock, Eagle Point, Central Point, Grants Pass....such originality, really. But Table Rock is just that: a rock sticking out of the Rogue River valley, pretty much dead flat on top...except for all the rocks sticking out of the ground. The view from the top makes you not care about the flatness, or in my case it makes me appreciate the flatness after the hour of panting and reaaaaaaaaaaaaaly slow walking it took to haul my butt and Kaeden up there. 

Half way up, there was a bit of a view point, so I decided to see if Kaeden wanted to walk a bit. He did not. He showed his displeasure with his entire world by laying down in the middle of the trail and indulging himself in this for roughly 10 minutes:

This video doesn't quite give you the full effect of standing in the middle of the trail on a busy Sunday morning, with people skirting themselves around you and giving you the stink eye for not "controlling that kid". Most people were probably looking forward to a quiet, peaceful day hike in the country. Then they turn a corner and BAM! screaming, snot covered, fit throwing blonde toddler. Kaeden is far more capable of embarrassing me than my own parents, when I was a snotty teenager and they made me do push ups in the middle of the Beaverton Good will. 

Eventually and with much whining, huffing and puffing, I made it up the hill. It was kinda funny, because people passing us on the trail complimented me on how strong I was, carrying Kaeden, or joked "Make the man carry the baby!" As a lesbian raised, hippy college educated feminists, this ticks me off. Why does the man have to do all the heavy lifting, and how else am I going to work off the baby weight? (Starting 17 months later is better than nothing).  Also, on the way uphill Kade wanted nothing to do with Tristan, but on the way back down, he wanted to walk or be carried by his dad. The whims of toddlers. 

Also on the way back down I had a big ol' grin and I looked at Tristan and told him, "I hate hiking" while barely containing my glee. I hate hiking so much that I'm thinking about trying the slightly longer, harder route up to Table Rock tomorrow while Tristan is in class.