Na-ture

So, last Saturday I went on a nature hike around Blue Hills (if you're from the area you know that this name is ironic because it's really just the one hill). The weather was perfect and the hike wasn't too long. I even got two pictures from the top of the hill before my camera battery died. Along the way I collected a few more observations:

-We decided to go with the "moderately difficult" trail. For those of you who are thinking about giving the trail a try, you should know that 'moderate' is a very subjective term. Also, the 'difficult' aspect is the up half. Down is a breeze by comparison.

-The most embarrassing part of the entire experience came about 100 yards in, at which point I was seriously regretting not wearing boots and I thought about turning back. However, I looked ahead and saw parents with a couple of young kids (maybe three years old). A look back down the hill revealed that the group behind me also featured toddlers. It was at that point I had to promise myself that no matter how many times I nearly twisted my ankle on rocks there was no way I was going to turn back, admit defeat and have to walk passed a group of 4 year-olds on my way to the car. I would rather sprain my ankle.

-While we're on the topic of loose rocks on a hiking trail, I feel like I have to ask: why there are so many of them still around? This was a fairly popular hiking trail in a densely populated area. Shouldn't enough people have walked up and down this hill enough by now that any loose rocks would have been successfully moved from the well-travelled areas? It wasn't like I was blazing a new trail off the beaten path and yet several of the steps I took featured the ground beneath my foot sliding away from me. I found that odd.

-Another thing I found odd was that there was a father walking with his young daughter on his shoulders. While this is not an uncommon thing to see in everyday life, it is not something one expects to encounter while hiking up a rock embankment. And, there was another thing that caught my eye: because both of the father's hands were full with walking sticks, he had actually put enough thought into the process to know to tie a strap around his chest that went over his daughter's feet so that she could sit on his shoulders and he could have his hands free. First off, I would love to know if this was just one man's ingenuity or an actual product for sale. Secondly, if it is a real item, how many do they sell a year? I understand that you want your kids to share your love of the outdoors, but how about wait until they are old enough to hike for themselves?