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| Hiking | 3.20 Miles |
850 AEG |
| | Hiking | 3.20 Miles | 1 Hour 33 Mns | | 2.06 mph |
| 850 ft AEG | | | | |
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| partners | | Tonight was a dream - I said out loud a few times that I thought it was not happening and it was a dream. I point out Tom's Thumb to the kids in the car as we are driving all the time, and I've hiked here quite a bit since first discovering the area in Jan 2008 (before any official trails). My dream has been to take Caroline (oldest child currently 5 years old) to Tom's Thumb and look out on the city together. I figured that I would take her when she was about 7 years old. It's so slippery coming down - and I didn't want to have her hate hiking b/c I am dragging her on hikes that are too hard.
So I was totally caught off guard tonight when the four of us were on a little family hike up Tom's Thumb and we were supposed to turn on Feldspar and go back down in a mini-loop with Marcus Landslide. We started late at 5:45pm. When we got to Feldspar and were about to turn, Caroline said she wanted to go up to the Thumb. I tried to talk her out of it - made it sound all scary - and that we could do it when she was older. That was it - now she really wanted to go up there. "I'm tough enough Mommy. I can do it." So Brad and George went back to the car, and Caroline and I went up together.
She did great on the way up. She had her own camera and took a few pictures. She had water and a granola bar. I had enough water and a cell phone. I do this hike all the time, but I was totally focused on the turns and gravel since I had a five-year old holding my hand. No slips on the way up. We stopped for water a few times - and for pictures!!
If we had started just a little earlier we would have made it to the Thumb easily. When the sun went down behind the ridgeline I had to "call it" and turn back. This trail is so slippery going down, and I didn't want to explain our story to a Peds ER doctor with a broken arm or ankle or something. So we made it to the last high lookout just before the intersection with East End trail.
On the way down she did get a little scared of falling and she slipped a couple of times. I ended up carrying her on my back for a few stretches of narrow switch backs. I'm glad I've been going to a trainer for a few months - felt like I was carrying a kettle bell in a regular workout session.
We texted Brad with updates so that he wouldn't be worried about us as it got dark. We made it down in pretty amazing time. Not that different than my usual time. Caroline was so proud of herself and I was unbelievably proud of her. I had mistakenly told her that I would give her a nickel for every globe mallow that she spotted on the trail. Had no idea they were everywhere right now - so now I owe her $2.80 !!
What a night - I can't wait until she's a little older and we can hike all the time together. Of course by then she won't want to hike with me anymore. Definitely she will not want to hold my hand while we hike - which I love so much. I will never forget this evening of spontaneous adventure - the glimmer in her eyes, the pride, the nerves, the excitement. |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
globe mallows out in full force |
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