Midwinter Break, Part VI -- Our First Pine Mountain Hike

With Elijah's first hike such a success, we wasted no time heading to Pine Mountain.  We hiked part of the Pine Mountain Trail on February 25th. The trail was right up Elijah's alley, as it's a 23 mile hike altogether with plenty of signage and maps.  Scottie and I decided to park and hike out of our favorite spot, but to Elijah's chagrin, that's the end of the hike.  He LOVED the hike, even more than the Line Creek Hike, but asked if we could find the beginning and hike it at some point. 

We tried carrying Keira in the hiking backpack, which had mixed results.  I still carried her for a good part of the hike in the sling, but I was able to get a substantial break while Scottie carried her on his back.  You can see from her expression in this picture, that she's not altogether pleased with the experience.  I think the main problem was her jeans, they rode up uncomfortably.  Next time we hike with the backpack, we need to avoid jeans for her comfort.

I took the previous picture of Scott and Keira when we stopped for our big break on our snack rock.  Here's Elijah enjoying his break, snack and overall hike experience.  Again, I'm so happy to have another enthusiastic hiker to hike with me!

With Keira riding on Daddy's back, Elijah and I enjoyed some time together on the trail.  One of the unexpected pleasures of the hike was crossing all the multiple creeks.  It was a hoot jumping across the rocks and trying to keep our feet dry.  Elijah fell in a little once, but even a soggy shoe couldn't dampen his mood.

As the creek picture shows, most of the hike was beautiful and picturesque.   But, one section of the hike had been hit by a tornado last year.  It was stark and striking where it had once been lush.  Elijah affectionately nicknamed it the "junkyard" and invented some super spy game during that part of the hike.