A Family That Hikes Together

Bunny here at the keyboard to tell you about our Saturday hike.

As soon as Mom started getting ready, Blueberry ran to the back door and gave Mom her doe eyes.  Mom and Dad immediately caved and said Blueberry could come with us this time.  I told Blueberry that I was going to have my Christmas list done by the end of the weekend and that I'd appreciate it if she passed it along to Mom and Dad for me. 

Anyroo, we headed off for Kickapoo State Park, but when we got there, the trails were closed for deer hunting.  Phooey!   So, Dad said there was another place nearby that he read about and we'd go try that one, since it wasn't too far away.  We headed over to Forest Glen Preserve, which is actually four nature preserves together in one park.  They have Duffin Woods, Forest Glen Seep, Howard's Hollow Seep, Doris L. Westfall Prairie and a twenty two acre savannah restoration area that I don't think has a name. 

Mom packed our tummy warmers in her backpack and Blueberry and I were glad she did.  It was a chilly day and we were shivering in no time.  We got our fleece on and then we were ready to hit the trail.  One of the first things we saw was an old fire observation tower.  Shawnee, you and your mom might want to look away from the next couple pictures.  That's because Mom and Dad left us at the bottom of the tower and climbed all the way up.   It was seventy five feet tall.  Mom says there was a great view of the Vermillion River from up there and she and Dad said they'd like to come back in the spring to see it again when the river is higher. 

Fortunately, it was pretty brisk up there and Mom and Dad didn't stay too long.  They collected us and we set out on the trail.  We walked down to the Vermillion River and did some exploring.  To get down there, we had to climb down the riverbank, which was a little challenging -- well, for Dad it was.  He says he needs to find some new hiking shoes that actually have some tread on them.  Still, it was worth the trouble to climb down there.  We could see wildlife trails along the opposite bank.  Actually, we heard a lot of wildlife, too, but we didn't see anything more than a squirrel, unless you count the deer we saw sauntering across the road while we were in the van.  There was another family down by the river exploring, and we offered to take their picture all together. 

We didn't see any boulders, but I did scale this fallen tree.  In my heart, I was climbing boulders for Miss K, though.  We're hoping she's feeling better soon. 

Morgan, however, had something else in mind.  I can't blame her too much.  That hill was steep that we had to hike back up.  Still, I'd like to point out that we Greyhounds made it up without having to sit down and rest.

Soon it was time to head back.  Mom didn't want Blueberry to get too tired.  Blueberry was having a grand time and she took it all in stride.  She never looked tired on the trail to me.  When we got home, it was a different story, though!