[Canuck]

There have been a couple trip reports already on this, so I'll just add the parents' perspective: contrary to my over-confidence that my kid could do the whole loop with all the snow... I was wrong!! We went counterclock wise at GGW's suggestion, and got to Big Creek (?), around 2.2 miles or so, where we had to stop. My mom and I could have gone further but it was too slick & deep (and melting, due to the very warm weather!!! ) for a little kid. But that's ok. It was a gorgeous day, a fun trail, and my kid didn't even so much as ask for a piggy back ride!! A few pictures, all of my kid, cause I'm the proud mom!! Other than the snow, it's a great trail for kids. Not overly steep, lots of cool things to see, and tons of bridges - even though we only did half of the trail.

Happy Joe at 2 miles

Joe Cool at Big Creek

Happy Joe at 3 miles

We had a scavenger hunt on this outing -- great idea, for those hiking with kids, by the way -- he got a huge kick out of this. Here he is, crossing off yet another bridge on the hunt for "at least 6 bridges":

Marking off the list, ~3 miles

And at long last.... THE END!!! He took a spill just before this picture into the salal and has a good scratch going from mid-cheek across his face & lips, down to the bottom of his chin. Oops. (And we were supposed to get professional photos today, but thankfully the photographer was sick!!)

He makes it 4 miles!!

It was a perfect day in the woods. Great weather, great company, no bugs, and one amazing kid! And a plug for good hiking boots, even for children. I've always just had him wear tennis shoes, because his day hikes are around only 2 miles, tops. He started complaining when we were back at the campground that his feet hurt. He had no blisters, he just said the bottoms of his feet hurt. I can imagine without the good boots, we may have gotten complaints a lot earlier. I now think it's totally worth the expense if they're hiking more than a couple miles.

[Hiker Mama]

Way to go, Joe!! I love seeing smiling kid pictures in the woods. I agree with good boots even for little kids. It's nice to have that extra support for them, and if you can find ones that are waterproof, that's an extra benefit. They are walking the same trails we are, they deserve the same (or better) protection for those tender tootsies.

[Don]

What an excellent adventure! And what an excellent way to draw interest to the young!!

[bobbi]

congrats to joe on a great hike! hope your booboo gets better fast! perfect! new hiking boots, rain slickers, gloves, backpack, hydration bottles, clif bars etc. hook joe up with new gear!

[trailjunky]

Nice TR, I hope our son is enjoying the trail as much as yours someday.

[summithound]

Way to get the kids hiking Canuck. Glad to see you all made it across the creek OK.

[Canuck]

[goats gone wild]

Way to go, Joe! Hopefully, later this year you can go back and count all the bridges. Glad you had a good time, Canuck. And lucky you for living so close to a wonderful place.