Family Hike: Back at it! Military reserve and Jump Creek Canyon

Well hello.  It's been a while, huh?  Yeah.  I'll admit - I'm kind of just in survival mode right now.  I'm pretty busy, and Little Man has still been waking every two hours or so at night (except the last few nights, but I didn't want to mention that because I didn't want to jinx it, but that Catholic honesty got the best of me!!!).  I'm pretty sleep deprived.  It is true - doing all this without any family around is pretty tough.  We still feel we are in the right place.  It really feels like home here now.  I think we can also say we have friends now - we are established.  It is still tough.  We knew it would be.  No complaints - just explaining why the updates have kind of slowed.

The weather gave us a tease of warm sunny weather, so we've started getting some hiking in again.

We started out a couple weeks ago visiting the Military Reserve again.  We did a hike there last summer, but we did a different trail this time.

Checking out the neat holes again.

This trail took us up to the top and gave us a view of the city.

 

Mika was happy to get out and about with us too.

 

We are also working on having Little Lady doing some of the hiking on her own, usually at the end.  We'll probably start having her carry a little back pack too - learning to carry her own supplies.

We also checked out a new place.  Jump Creek Canyon.  The owner of the CrossFit place I go to mentioned he took his kids hiking there so I looked it up.  It was a simple, probably 45 minute, drive from Boise and looked pretty nice and kid friendly. 



It is pretty impressive when you come up on it.  It is totally flat, wind swept farm land and then, kinda suddenly, there is a huge canyon.

The walk to the falls was a pretty short and simple one.  We had Little Lady do that part on her own. 



There were neat little caves and stuff to check out on the walk to the falls.



VERY bright and sunny.



There was one little stream crossing she got carried across.



Some neat rock formations.

 

The falls!

 

 

There was a little tunnel to go around to get another view of the falls - I chose to just step on some rocks in the water to get there.  I had Little Man on my back - didn't want to bump his head!  Little Lady of course scrambled up like a monkey.  We've gotta watch that girl.  We're trying to explain the responsibilities and dangers that come with doing this stuff on her own.

 

 

Other view.

 

My hiking buddy.



Plants on the trail.  Dunno what it is.  You?  Things are so green!  It's spring!

We then went back to the parking area and went up to the rim trail.  Up....Up....Up.  Little Lady rode on Papa's back for that part.



This was about half way up.  Can you see the falls in the middle of the picture?
 

 

Up.....Up.....Up.  I should also mention that I had an intense workout that morning.  Ever heard of burpees?  Also known as squat thrusts?  Yeah, I did like 73 of them that morning - I don't even remember what the lifting was that morning - I just remember the burpees.  And then I suggest we go hiking.  Glutton.....for......punishment.

 

Then my phone battery died, so I don't have any pictures of the rest of the hike.  Chris does - but then I'd have to get them off of his phone.....some day.  Not right now.

 

 

 

I did get to charge my phone back at the car for one last cute picture before we left.

 

It is nice to get out and about again.  To not be pregnant and be able to do more intense hikes!  It is easier to carry him on my back than it was to carry him in my belly.

So - this, and work, and school, and cleaning, and kids, and homeshool preschool, and church playgroup, and library story time - that is what we've been up to. 

 

What have you been up to?  Don't be a stranger.