We learn from our mistakes. During hours that are normally reserved for ‘waking up’ and ‘eating breakfast’, we got up and got going. Taking the free shuttle from the visitor center closest to our camp up to Logan Pass, we didn’t have to worry about parking. We finally got to do our Logan Pass hike to Hidden Lake.
Evie is turning into quite the little hiker. She has a small pack that she packs herself (after we’ve had a look through what she plans to pack because odd, heavy things like rocks often find their way into her pile). Jack needs a new backpack. The one he was using isn’t comfortable for real hiking. It’s time to upgrade.
On the trail we had several encounters with wild mountain goats. They’re surprisingly Rambo-like. The big one looked like he belonged on Muscle Beach in LA. At one point we were walking along chatting about something and one walked right in front of us, almost close enough to touch. I quietly slid the kids behind me and sent out an energy ball to motivate him to move along. Yes, it did work. He kept moving.
Since we were hiking and it was technically an alpine meadow, I couldn’t help but belt out some Sound of Music (much to the surprise enjoyment of the folks I didn’t know were behind us).
After a lunch spent chasing away some sort of oddly clever squirrel-guinea pig creature, Scott parted ways with the kids and I. He headed down to the lake – an extra mile or 2 that would have been a major pain with the littles. He wanted a work out. We wanted to take our time.
The 3 of us took the leisurely direct route back to the visitors center and had plenty of adventures of our own. Jack fell and scraped his knee. That required band-aides and a major medical intervention that unnecessarily drew a crowd. Then we met Kim and her husband Rilley from TN. She’s a semi-professional photographer and insisted on taking some photos of the kids and I. I haven’t seen them yet, but I’m looking forward to getting them. Evie took a few minutes to meditate on a nice, flat, warm rock.
We arrived at the visitor center thinking we had plenty of time. Not true. It’s a mystery what motivates him, but Scott decided to run down to the lake and run all the way back to the visitor center. I can’t even venture a guess as to why. He arrived shortly after us (soaking wet with sweat). He was all smiles and had “fun”. Cool. We definitely had fun. It was a win-win day.
