A Little Hike

I stood in the kitchen, the morning air still slightly too chilly for comfort. In front of me was a sandwich assembly line - salami, pepper jack, mustard, sourdough, lettuce, pickle. I slapped them together with blurry eyes, sticking them in containers with grapes and trail mix.

My phone chimed. I looked over and saw that Anne was on her way.

We loaded up a backpack with added water, chips, sunblock, and sweatshirts. And then, we walked out the door.

It was gorgeous - just cool enough to ponder wearing our sweatshirts, but not so much to actually pull them out. We started the hike walking through eucalyptus.

"That tree is naked!" Joseph cried, pointing at a eucalyptus stripped of it's bark.

The adults laughed while Joseph went on to tell us it creeped him out. We passed delicate yellow flowers and wild carrots. Poison oak started popping up between wild blackberries. We watched the kids with eagle eyes, hoping to prevent an itchy and painful night. We climbed nature's jungle gym of low tree branches and wide, knobby trunks.

The trail came to an end at a sand dune covered with purple and green ice plant. We turned left and continued down the slipping, sliding sand.

The view opened and the brilliant blue sky reflected in the cobalt ocean. Rocks stepped around tide pools. We took off our socks and started to explore until it was time to eat our lunches while sea gulls begged for scraps and the waves crashed off shore.

I love that the kids and I are starting to go on more and more hikes. Being outdoors, enjoying the fresh air and each other while we explore all the beautiful places in our backyard has become one of our favorite ways to spend a Saturday or a couple hours after I get home from work. And when we get to share one of those hikes with friends, it's even better.