Confession: family hikes aren’t always sunshine and rainbows. It can be hard to find a trail/pace/activity that pleases everyone, because we all have different interests. Rowan loves to sit by the lake and eat snacks, Tom likes to wander around taking pictures, and Maggie and I are constantly pulling at the leash.
However, this past weekend we finally discovered the solution! Family scavenger hunt – take a photo of each item you find.
We went to Wallace Falls and used this checklist of items for our scavenger hunt. Tom had fun with the photography, Rowan loved searching for the next item, and me – well, I just slowed my roll. It’s good for me. 🙂 We all genuinely enjoyed ourselves and it was probably one of the most fun outdoor experiences we’ve had as a family.
Rowan takes on Wordsworth.
A few notes:
- Next time, we’re picking a more obscure trail. Wallace Falls is a busy state park. We knew that, but went there anyway because it was a short-ish drive from home and we weren’t really looking for a remote adventure. However, during our hike we stopped frequently to hunt for items and take pictures, and definitely got in the way of other folks trying to make forward progress. (Sorry!) So next time, we’ll pick a less crowded trail where we can meander along and not be in the way.
- Speaking of making forward progress… this is terribly trite, but it’s true: once I slowed down and started looking at the moss, the trees, the spider webs… it was pretty amazing. That’s not to say I’m giving up trail running. I will always love gulping down the wilderness and exploring as much as I can in the time that I have. But it’s also fun to move at the speed of family.
- Next time, we’re going to customize our scavenger hunt lists based on where we are going. It’s more fun, and provides a great excuse for doing a bit of background research on a place before we go there. (What kind of animal tracks might we see? What trees are in the area and what do their leaves look like? Will there be mushrooms? Berries? Flowers? Ferns? What are the names of the surrounding peaks and who can identify them correctly from the trail?)
- Pack plenty of snacks. Then pack a few more.
Without further ado, here are the photographic results of our scavenger hunt:
Evergreen Endurance Coaching 