Olivia crossed another milestone: she completed her first hike.
We took her, along with our friend Melinda, to Hog Rock, a 1-mile easy loop in the Catoctin Mountain Park, which is part of the National Park Service. According to our Fodor's Virginia and Maryland guidebook, the Catoctin Mountain Park is eight square miles of forest and rocky ledges. Add in mild temperatures on this particular Friday and it was the perfect recipe for Olivia's first hike.
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| Follow the arrow |
We brought the hiking backpack to carry her, but she wanted to walk solo, so she did that (at a slow, slow pace stopping to collect sticks, leaves, and worms) until the vista. At that point, she told us to stop and take a photo "here!" We obliged.
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| Family photo on the mountain |
Then she ran around, despite my plea to walk, while I took a photo at the vista with Melinda. Of course, Olivia fell. She wasn't upset until Benny took a photo of her on the ground. She tried to wave him off while Melinda and I laughed.
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| Don't take my photo, Olivia cries. |
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| Meli and I |
We finished the hike (with Olivia in the backpack) by identifying trees and poking at a harmless caterpillar.
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| Olivia loves to hike |
Olivia loved every minute of it, even if it lasted more than the 45 minutes it typically takes to complete that loop.
1 comment:
I'm so glad we were ALL laughing at her, that was one of the funniest things ever! I had such a great time on that visit and proud to be part of her 1st completed hike. Many more to come...
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