1 post tagged “hiking trail”

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Go straight to the photos.

Today, we managed to leave the apartment at a reasonable time and headed out to a very nearby park. I told the boys we were going hiking. The weather was great, mostly sunny with some clouds so it was very comfortable. Austin is supposed to be in the high 80s by now, if not low 90s. The weather is spoiling us!

My hubby had looked up nearby hiking trails so we knew we’d have something interesting to walk through. And we did. But when we got there, the first thing the boys saw was the public pool (”I wanna go to the pool!” 2x) and then the playscape (”I wanna go to the park!” 2x but louder). Mom was mean! Mom denied the pool (nevermind that we had no swim trunks) and mom denied the park (”Later!” I said, “Maybe later.”). Instead, we walked across the field that was hovered over by an army of dragonflies. That gave them the willies! But I’m stubborn so we soldiered on.

The path was worn by feet but you could tell the water also did a lot of work there recently. It really took no time before the boys decided to enjoy themselves and stop complaining that they weren’t in the pool or at the playground. After a bit of walking, we heard the sound of rushing water and sure enough we came upon a stream. It was my turn to be disappointed: I remembered they were wearing their “good” shoes. Well, they know the consequences of wet shoes so que sera sera.

The stream was clear and gorgeous and swollen because of the rains. The walking path, which was now paved and parallel to the stream, was overrun by water in some parts. Eventually, we got to a part where the path was completely submerged.

The boys went nuts! At first, they tried to stay on the stepping stones but that really didn’t last long. At some point, someone slipped then the water was fair game. In and around and over the rocks they went, cavorting like there was no tomorrow (and no need for dry shoes). Mom just stayed out of the water and took pictures. I wasn’t about to get my shoes wet! I only have one pair I can wear socks (and go hiking) with. Not that they minded, they still had fun anyway.
After hubby was off work, we all got in our swimming gear and went back. The boys were happy they got to splash around and explore further. We didn’t bring a camera that time so we wouldn’t have to worry about it. In the time we were gone, some people had set off fireworks by the pond part of the stream and the smell of them hung heavily in the air. We did go further down the stream and found an area where there was some water coming from the rocks to one side of the walkway. That water was really cold! Eventually, erosion will carve up that small rock wall and they’ll have to redo the walkway or give it up completely because it was under about 10 inches of water. We all had such a blast!