Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day Seven

I am thankful for hiking.  My parents took me and my brother out camping and hiking from the time we were very young.  My Dad was a scoutmaster, and I was in Camp Fire for many years.  I went to Camp Fire Camp in Oregon almost every summer.  I have always felt that being in the wilderness was where I felt most at home.  

Now I take my kids out.  We get out a lot in the summer.  They both have to walk on their own now, so we don't go very far, but we have adventures and enjoy exploring.  I like to get out without my kids, too.  I look up flowers, observe birds and wildlife, and soak up the smells and sounds of the woods and mountains.  We are so fortunate to have an abundance of trails of infinite variety in our area.  It will take a lifetime to explore every nook and cranny, but I am excited to try them all out!  I'm sure I will write more about hiking later, but I'll end with a few pictures from this year's adventures.

Here is Gabriel negotiating some snow patches on the way to Talapus Lake.

This one is the kids at Heybrook Lookout.

"C'mon, Mom!" Annika on the way back down from Heybrook.

Annika on our ill-fated trip at Sunrise on Mt. Rainier.

Here we are at Cape Flattery this summer.  It rained.