while you were walking... : The next generation of AT hikers?

The day after Easter was one of the most beautiful so far, in Upstate New York. I decided to give in to the itch of cabin fever from (what felt like) the longest Winter EVER and the pangs of jealousy as Jeff calls in with trail updates. My Mommy partner-in-grime, Annie, and I planned to do a little outdoor adventuring with the kids at Bash Bish Falls, just over the NY/MA border.

Annie's son, August, is just a few weeks younger than Felix. So, basically, the two boys have been rough-housing since the womb (when Annie and I were working dynamic-preggo-duo shifts together at New World Bistro Bar).

We packed the Jeep with all 3 car seats, some snacks and the LL Bean kid-carrier that Jeff had picked up for me at a Salvation Army a few years ago. Without much research, we took off on what turned out to be the more difficult of two trails leading to Bash Bish Falls. Either trail is pretty beginner, in my opinion... but the other trail is level and paved (where's the fun in THAT?) The rugged boys had a great time jumping over tiny tributary streams, scaling rocks bigger than them and stopping to listen for the rushing water that awaited below. Fiona was all smiles, leading up the caboose, in the pack.

Two favorite moments:

Right before we got close to the falls, Annie made the boys sit down and raise their right hands, boy scout honor style. "Repeat after me," she said, as she made them solemnly swear to listen to their mommies, pay attention, be safe and have fun. "Amen." They apparently took the oath very seriously and were amazingly well-behaved for the hour we hung by the water.

The other moment that stuck out was as Felix took it all in while munching on his PB&J. He looked around and shouted, "THIS IS AMAZING!" Haha. If he was just a few years older, he might've even called it "fukkin' maje$stic." And so, it begins...