Day 14: Battle Creek Falls Hike

I have this ridiculous need for adventure and a drive to get out and do something fun (despite the fact that I have such small children). I'm also very spontaneous. I usually get up in the morning and decide to do something. It's great for my kids, but not so great when I'm trying to find people to go with me on these adventures. I'm many of you have gotten phone calls from me early in the morning saying, "hey do you want to go...?".

Well this morning was no different and I decided to go do the Battle Creek Falls hike by myself. I tried several people to go with me, but all said no, so I decided to try it on my own. I packed the girl's backpacks with a snack, water bottle, hiking hat, and we were off. Once we got there and got on the trail, I got a little nervous. I wasn't sure where we were going and I felt a little like bear baite. The thoughts kept running through my mind of how I was going to protect my little ones if something (or in our days...someone) tried to attack us. I know, I'm super paranoid about stuff like that. The fact that I started passing men on the way down with guns on their backs didn't help. Was there something I was supposed to know? I asked them if they killed all the bears, and they said they had saved them for me. Thanks guys, way to calm my nerves.Julianne was not thrilled with being in the baby carrier and after about five minutes she let me know by screaming and squirming the rest of the trip. Sophia was a trooper, but Gabriela was a different story. She woke up exceptionally whiny this morning and that was part of the reason I had to get out of the house, but once on the trial, the whining increased. She lagged behind and said she couldn't walk that fast and was a real delite let me tell ya.

At about half way up the trail got pretty steep. The girls eventually ditched their backpacks on Mom and they pressed forward. We made it a little beyond the lower falls and I was sweating like a crazy woman. You would be too if you were carrying an extra thirty pounds on ya. I decided we better turn around before we get too far in and I would have to carry all three out of the canyon. That's when it really got interesting. I was so steep and we were on a dirt and rock trail that the girls got feaked out. They wanted to hold my hand. Here's the part where I really wish I had a picture. There is me with my screaming baby strapped to my chest thrashing about, a child's backpack over each shoulder and a child in each hand trying not to break my neck or go sliding down the mountain side. I actually stopped and said a prayer to ask the Lord to get us down safe and sane! To hold the earth under my feet! We made it down o.k. and we actually stopped and had a snack and some water on the way down. We met up with Miguel for lunch at Sonic and he justs laughs at me and smiles as I'm telling him about my adventure. He asks, "Why do you do these things to yourself ? You just ask for it." To be honest, I don't know, but I sure felt like super mom coming down that mountain and felt like I was getting stronger. We got out and had an experience and at least at the end of my life I won't have any regrets. I can say I made the most out of my time on earth...even if it causes my hair to grow grey and fall out.