Spokefest!

Spokefest registrations are nearly 1/2 the cost if you register online in the next 24hrs. This year marks the third anniversary of this growing event. Biking as a family is a great way to get around and enjoy the scenic route. This year our family is going to try out the Spokane Falls Route on the morning of Sunday September 12th. Let's hope no one has a total gear failure like this poor tire pictured above. Spokane is a great place to live with wonderful events like Bloomsday in May and Spokefest in September!

All The World's A Stage

Sometimes the most impressive things happen when you don't expect them. The bugs and wild animals were out in force today, but the children were the real gem. After hiking 20 minutes the children took a pause from walking to start telling stories to each other. They sat right on the side of the Centennial Tail and made it happen. The kids were so polite and would call on another child to tell a story once they were done. "Story Time" ranged from short to long and included fiction and non-fiction. Most every story was punctuated by laughter and giggles. I guess this is the sort of thing that can happen when you take hike at a child's pace.

Deep Creek delivered a great children's play area once again. There is plenty of sand and rocks to keep the little ones entertained. We were treated with a plethora of sport climbers for the children and adults to watch. We were reminded just how dangerous it is to be spectators of rock climbing when one of the climbers knees accidentally knocked loose some pretty big and dangerous rocks. Luckily no one was hurt. Deep Creek will be an interesting place to visit during different seasons in the years to come. In the future we might use bikes to get us from the parking lot to the trailhead a little quicker so we can spend more time exploring the area.

Children's Pace Hike Sunday @ Deep Creek

It is time to go hiking! This Sunday we're meeting at 10:00 am at the McLellan Trailhead on the Centennial Trail. We will be walking north from there at a child's pace to explore Deep Creek. This is a pretty easy hike but may require some little ones to be carried in backpacks or on their parents shoulders. The driving directions are quite easy: take SR 291 to the Seven Mile road, left on Seven Mile road until you cross over the Spokane River, then make an immediate right onto Riverside Park Drive, which dead ends at the trailhead.

Bugs Beat Out Berries

We are back from huckleberry picking on Mt. Spokane.

The highlight of the day for most of the children seemed to be when Nelson caught a grasshopper with his lightening quick hands and shared his catch with the children. We did come across some people on horseback and one other pail carrying hiker during our outing. The weather was 100% cooperative with temps in the 70's, lots of breeze, and unstoppable sunshine.

We had a pretty good turn out today for our foraging on Mt. Spokane. There were a few more pickers who didn't quite make it into this photo. The ruse of berry picking worked well to keep the kids excited for about an hour and half of searching the underbrush. Sadly this year's crop of huckleberries has either already been picked over or just not as good as most years.

Stay tuned for more fun outings!

Huckleberry Picking This Friday On Mt. Spokane

The Sunflower Society is headed up to Mt. Spokane this Friday (8/20) to forage for those tasty little berries that happen to be the state fruit of Idaho. We will meet at the Argonne Library parking lot at 10:00 am and then head up the mountain to the Nordic ski area.

This week had held big plans for a camping trip, but those goals had to be re-evaluated and this berry picking mission is going to be our exciting outdoor adventure instead. I am not sure our little legged participants will walk more than 1/8th of a mile from the cars. Beyond the regular kid gear you might want to bring something to carry huckleberries in!

"Kid Friendly" Hikes

Yesterday Chris Bachman and I hiked up Scotchman Peak to rejuvenate our souls and go spend about an hour with two wild mountain goats on the summit. The hike is categorized in local hiking guides as strenuous for good reason. We discussed two important Sunflower Society topics during our trip.

The first was the need to pick children friendly hikes. This goes beyond just picking flat terrain but includes the need to not be goal oriented when hiking with children. Letting the little ones set the pace and being open to the outcome is important. Some children will be more interested in the bugs and birds along the way than the panoramas awaiting at the summit. If we don't make the lake or the lookout with our little ones we try to listen to them and turn around before our outing begins to look anything like a forced march. This Zen task of going at a child's pace is harder that it sounds for most parents.

The second topic that reverberated throughout the day was the need to still get outside without your children from time to time and do an adult type hike where you are goal oriented and the exertion level is beyond what most children will expend. Scotchman Peak definitely fell into this adult category. As you can see from the picture of one of the residents up above 7,000 feet, the hard work often yields great results.

Time to get MOMENTUM back!

In late July our family welcomed our third child. I have taken a bit of parenting leave from the blogging world, but now I am back and ready to resume with timely blog posts!