Battle Creek Hike

So yesterday afternoon Brett and I decided we would take a little family outing. After doing some research online Brett informed me that we were going to hike to Battle Creek Falls. Let me just clarify that when we typically use the word "hike" in this household it means we are going to walk somewhere outdoors and see some nature stuff, but not really anything that takes more physical effort than a walk around the block. I guess I should have asked him to clarify. When we got there I put Kate in the Ergo on my back, we got our stuff out of the car, and a little Cocker Spaniel puppy appeared out of nowhere. We assumed he belonged to someone around and so we just left him and started our hike. As it turns out, when Brett said hike he actually meant that we were going to hike. Don't get me wrong, the hike was only about a mile and it was considered easy, but I had an extra 22 pounds on my back and we were going uphill!

But it was so worth it! Not only did I get an awesome work-out, the hike was beautiful. It was such a fun way to spend time as a family. I felt an awesome sense of accomplishment once we got to the top. There was hardly anyone else on the trail and the solitude was very peaceful. Kate chattered a lot of the time and loved watching and listening to the falls.

The hike down was much easier. I told Brett that if the dog was still there by the time we got back down we would take him home with us. I think we were both a bit surprised when we got to the parking lot and he was still there, though now he was muddy from taking a swim. When we saw him again Kate yelled "duh" and squealed with joy. After we looked around to make sure he had no owners, he got into the car with us and we brought him home. Kate continued to squeal "duh" several times on the way home, and once we got home she even added a "guh" sound to the end of the word.

Wait, was that her first word?!?!

Unfortunately we had to drop the puppy off at the police station later that night, because we had no crate for him to stay in and didn't feel comfortable leaving him out in the house. But I plan on checking with the shelter Monday morning to see what their policy is. If his owners don't claim him and no one will adopt him, he will be coming back to our house until we can find him a more permanent home. Unfortunately we didn't really get any pictures of him, but suffice it to say he was really cute, and I wanted to name him Achilles (because I've always wanted to name a dog after some great work of literature, and because his long golden locks reminded me of Brad Pitt's hair from the movie Troy). Brett wasn't super found of this and was calling him Little Buddy.

So then this morning Kate is playing with Deacon and it sounded like she said "dog" again. What a fun milestone to add onto an already exciting (though somewhat surprising) adventure. I'm so proud of her!

Hiking up the trail

View from the top

At the top of the falls

At the bottom of the falls

Taking a short break

We love our Ergo!