First Hike of 2012!

Today Kendra and I took Addie on her first hike of the year! We went with my sister Kim, her three kids, Grace, Eoin, and Bria, and our friend Christina, to one of our local favorites, Weir Hill.

The beautiful near 60-degree weather prompted our excursion – who can pass up being outside on a beautiful day in the middle of winter. However, today was unique not just for the warmer-than-usual temperature. Despite the fact that it is January, and we are in Massachusetts, there is no snow on the ground. It’s very strange. Last year at this time, this was the view from our front door…

The lack of snow on the ground made today feel like an early fall hike. The kids had a fantastic time following the trail markers. Each time Eoin found one, he’d jump up and slap it with his hand. If he couldn’t reach, he’d poke it with a stick. We hiked an easy loop, with only a few small patches of mud and ice. Addie spent a lot of time our of her carrier, exploring the trails, tripping over roots, and playing with the leaves. It’s so much fun watching her enjoy herself in the woods.

I was excited to try out one of my Christmas presents from Kendra – a set of lenses that magnetically attach to my iPhone. There are some kinks to work out, and I plan on reviewing them once I get a chance to use them a few more times, but they were definitely fun to play with – especially the fish eye lens.

Today was an awesome hike, but I am bummed we haven’t had snow this winter – I am itching to get on my snowboard, and Kendra and I want to try snowshoeing. Alas, there is no snow in the forecast anytime soon. At least the ground is dry, so in the mean time we can keep hiking.