Another Hike. A rather LONG one.

The weekend after our last guests left, we decided to join our cousins for a hike to an un-hiked to lake.
Un-hiked to by us anyway.

This proved to be an expedition which produced many good pictures, but also many tired legs and feet.
I'm not ashamed to say that AJ and I turned around after lunch and headed back to the base of the trail with Bryce and the 3 girlies.  The boys followed their cousins on in search of the illusive lake - a lake which we were always "so close" to, but never quite "arriving at".
As the trail was dwindling, AJ and I were a little concerned that we'd arrive in time to carry ALL the children out, not just the couple babies already on our backs.  And darkness would possibly envelope us before the completion of our trip.

As it was, the story ended happily with us all sleeping in our own beds.  AJ tramped half-way in a second time with the double jogger to help tired little cousins back and I really don't know how a 5 month pregnant Sis-in law carried her 27 pound boy all that way!  Whew!  Wears me out just to imagine it.

They DID find their lake though, so congratulations to them!
And we kept our "happy hearts" so good for us.

Carolina walked most the whole hike interspursed with hitching a ride with me or her dad.
Susanna and Olivia walked the whole time.
In mud boots none-the-less.

This equaled probably 10 miles all told.  TEN MILES! I'm glad to know we could do it in a pinch, but I sure hope we're never pinched!

Speaking for myself, I was perfectly happy to hear about the lake.  I don't need to see it for myself :-)

Here's the picture journal of our adventure.  

Enjoy, and let your own feet be ache-free.

On a brief stop to check the map, certain of our party found a new purpose for young tree saplings.
(Shhh... don't tell the forest service!)
It's like the stationary precursor to mutton-busting - and no coin slots either!

This... is me telling the kiddos about Baneberry.  

Amongst the many many berries up in these parts, most are edible or if not, won't cause serious harm.  

The Baneberry?  It's rather toxic.  NO TOUCHY!  

We have a pile pf children who want to taste every edible plant and berry - even if the book says it's not "palatable" (new word in our vocabulary).  

The "unpalatable" ones keep them from trying anything with too much unharnessed vigor.

   One of my favorites

There was a certain amount of relief in finally laying eyes on the Trooper.  In the (here) famous words of Carolina:

We MADE it!