Family Hike at Eaton Canyon – The Nature Therapy we all Needed

Today was nothing short of magical. It was nature therapy in the literal sense. We left at 830 this morning; fueled up with McDonalds breakfast; and then 4 and a half hours, 5 miles, and 500 feet later (during which K didn’t ask to be carried once because I think she might be part machine ?) we emerged as better, calmer, and happier people. We enjoyed so many trees and bugs and rocks, we listened to crickets and crunching leaves ?? as we walked, we formed a chain to cross the creek 6 times ?, we helped each other and enjoyed each other’s company.

Nothing but us and nature for half of the day. Plus how awesome is a waterfall?! K LOVED it and had fun playing with sticks in the mud and wading in the water. I really like sharing with her how you work hard to hike somewhere and get to enjoy something at the end as a reward for your efforts ?. And hiking is extra special because you enjoy something that cannot be viewed any other way. You can’t get to some places in a car or even on a bike and without hiking, you can only see the views in photos which totally isn’t the same. I also like teaching K how to appreciate nature, which in turn helps me teach her why it’s important to recycle, care for the environment ?, etc.

I really can’t articulate all the feelings I had on our hike because there were just so many, much of which was joy. I have never felt so close to my family as I did today and I’m so excited that hiking season has begun for us and that we can continue to share these special experiences together.