Veteran's Day Hike on Auburn's Western States Trail: Could You Hear Iris Crying?

Just as the girl's and I promised,

we brought the whole family back to the Western States Trail

to continue our exploratory mission

and actually make it down to the water!

Being fall,

everything was exploding in golden foliage!

A perfect photo opp,

this ledge overlooks the water below

and only makes you thirst for more!

We came across this stone bench,

and it made for a perfect rest stop.

Well, almost perfect.

The cliff dropped off steeply below,

which meant I couldn't take my eyes off

Owen, Gabriel or Ava!

I think there collective goal was to give me

a heart attack.

Samuel would have helped watch them too,
but he was busy throwing rocks off the ledge.
His goal:
To hit the water.
Result:
Not even close!

The waterfall!



At one point,

we came to a cross roads.

Normally we vote,

but this time we split our party into two

to see which would provide the better access to the water.

Samuel, won.

But his pick was super-close to these creepy guys

who were hanging deep in the bushes.

We were outta there!

Mom said!

So off we went on my trail,

and though the water access wasn't as great,

it had these super cool bramble tunnels to run through.

It felt like we were in the Vietnam jungle!

Lunch was peaceful for the most part,

though I was still on edge from our earlier encounter.

All I can say is,

I'm so glad I wasn't alone with the girls!

The kids really appreciated the down time,

and like always,

each found their own nook and cranny in the rocks
and set up a temporary "house",

or in Owen's case, "space ship".

Gabriel,

he thinks we're still at home and he can easily

throw his food on the floor before picking it up again to eat it.

Unfortunately, son,

you do that here and it's covered in sand and dirt!

My handsome husband.

I love you, Samuel.

On the way there and back,

Samuel and I always carry Gabriel,

and for 95% of the time,

Owen too.

Do the math,

and that means when Iris poops out,

there's no one left to give her a ride out.

This is extrememly upsetting to her,

because you see,

she doesn't do math.

At least,

she doesn't do math well.

Because according to her calculations,

there are plenty of arms to give her a ride.



All in all,

this is exactly what we were looking for.

Not to make her cry,

but to see if she would lose it like we thought she would.

Let me explain:

This was more or less a trial run for

a more intense overnight backpacking trip

planned for Thanksgiving break.

We were on the fence as to whether she

could handle a trip like that...

and now we had our answer!

We love you, Iris!