Little Hikers

As Fall officially arrived this weekend, I realized I should post the rest of our summer pictures before we dive into one of my favorite seasons. For our big camping trip this year, we chose to explore new territory and headed east for the Colonial Creek campground located on the shores of Diablo Lake. Adjacent to Ross Lake and just an hour from Winthrop and Twisp, this area is downright stunning. And the girls were in heaven as we enjoyed a fabulous campground (Thank you to the rangers and their evening family programs!) and we took our first serious hike as a family of four.

Here are the intrepid little hikers at the peak of our first hike - Thunder Knob. (And yes, I kept embarrassing (and dating) myself by constantly referring to it as Thunder Dome. What can I say? Tina left an impression.)  

With an elevation gain of over 400 feet and a total distance of 3.6 miles, there was a need for mossy breaks and lounging for those with little legs. 

Ridiculous cuteness always helps tired hikers. 

And gorgeous vistas don't hurt either. 

So 3.6 miles up a moderate little trail might not seem like much to many of you. We actually thought we'd just take a walk and see if we could make it for a mile. But Stella and Phoebe kept movin' on. Whenever Stella felt tired, she asked to do math problems. (Seriously, who is this kid?) And whenever Phoebe felt whooped she would say "Be quiet legs." 

Yup, "Be quite legs." 

Needless to say, they were totally inspiring to both me and Brian, and we felt so profoundly lucky to have such good sports as daughters. 

 A rare shot of Stella and me. Oh, how this girl steals my heart with every insightful observation or goofy riff. 

For us Washingtonians, it was a hot one that weekend. The frigid waters of Diablo Lake were a bit shocking, but it felt good nonetheless. 

I felt like I had a posh spa treatment after walking in the river mud for an hour. Lovely. 

Oh, that determined little walk.

We decided to head to the Methow Valley to swim in a lake that wouldn't freeze our tootsies off. Pearrygin Lake was perfect.

As Brian took a few rides on his own, the girls and I enjoyed riding loops around the campground. Stella whizzes by and Phoebe has been quite the little balance biker. She motors with the best of them now. 

These two photos aren't too special at first glance. But I feel compelled to include them since I rarely see the three of us together - a Mama who often hangs behind or brings up the rear for two exuberant and curious spirits, there to keep the unit safe and united but also there to engage and expose them to the joys of this gorgeous world. Switch backs, huckleberries, log bridges. It's beyond inspiring to know in the day to day moments of life that we are living our values explicitly. Saying yes to bike riding on Lummi Island. Saying yes to reconnecting with far away family. Saying yes to holding a reverence for nature and our place in it. Saying yes to sledding in August. Saying yes to nearly 100 pounds of blueberries in our freezer. Saying yes to family and our gorgeous girls. 

It's been a splendid summer indeed.