First Hike of the Season

We headed to Grant's Nature Area, a very nearby park with some trails. Not a whole lot was up yet, but the kids got a taste of what we'll be doing a lot of this year, and learned about a couple wildflowers. They found some yellow feathers, too. I need to go through our bird guide to identify who they came from, but, despite some whining nearing the end, I think we all had fun. It will be even more so, I think, once they can forage a little and learn about wild edible plants. It was a beautiful day-perfect-not too hot or chilly.

Spring Beauty

Dutchman's Breeches

Yellow Banks

The newest addition to our hiking arsenal-the backpack cooler.

Anyone know why this is done? There were quite a few trees this way.

Sweet William

Spring Beauties

May apple

This makes me so upset. There was a trash can just a little further down the trail.

Hiking and Fishing at Grant's Nature Park

One of our favorite places to hike and fish! I love that it is so close and yet so remote.

Butterflies. In March.

Brown's Woods Hike

We thought this was cute...we later learned it was for a reason though. They both wanted to be in the lead and figured out they could be "tied" while they were holding hands. They fought for the coveted lead spot the entire hike, which got sort of annoying. Hoping that passes soon...

This was our first hike at Brown's Woods for awhile-I think since before Superboy was born, in fact. We set out after lunch and not far in Superboy decided he was tired so I ended up hiking the whole trail (just under 2 miles) with him asleep on my back and my backpack of gear on my front. Definitely earned dessert that day :) This was our first attempt at letterboxing, as well. We managed to find the Go Green letterbox and stamped everything up. There is another in the park there, but until the trees are leafed out we aren't going to have any chance of finding it. We were going to geocache as well, but the GPS was acting up. It was fun and definitely helped to start building muscles for our ultimate hike this summer-Mt. Timp in Utah.

White Dogtooth Violet Erythonium albidum From 4-12 in tall and the flower is about 3/4 in to 1 in wide. White flowers with 6 up-swept petals, nodding atop a leafless stalk; leaves leathery, often mottled, arising from base of stalk. Found in moist woods and thickets from April to June.

Stumped by where the letterbox is

 

 

 

First Hike of the Season

We headed to Grant's Nature Area, a very nearby park with some trails. Not a whole lot was up yet, but the kids got a taste of what we'll be doing a lot of this year, and learned about a couple wildflowers. They found some yellow feathers, too. I need to go through our bird guide to identify who they came from, but, despite some whining nearing the end, I think we all had fun. It will be even more so, I think, once they can forage a little and learn about wild edible plants. It was a beautiful day-perfect-not too hot or chilly.

Dutchman's Breeches: Dicentra cucullaria. 4-12 in. tall; flower 1/2-3/4 in. long. Flowers white, waxy, with 2 spurred petals like baggy trouser legs; leaves springing from stem base, much divided. Found in rich woods, shaded moist ledges. In bloom April-May.

Spring Beauty: Claytonia virginica. 2-10 in tall; flower 1/2 in. wide. Flower pink to white with dark pink veins, in loose clusters; 2 narrow, slightly succulent leaves on each slender stem. Found in meadows, streambanks and woods March-June. Form large colonies, spreading underground via corms, which look like small new potatoes and taste like sweet chestnuts when boiled. Gathering is tedious, though, and it takes many to attempt a meal.

Hiking Grant's Woods with Auntie

Okay, so this happened back in the later part of April/early part of May and I have just been way too busy to blog it. I have a lot of those photo posts coming up. Not that I have time now, but I am forcing myself to find some because what fun is a blog if I can't share?