We are working hard on it though and I am trying to get them into better hiking shoes that have some traction, as their current shoes really suck for anything steep and somewhat loose. I hardly see any of these trails as that loose when running on my own, but even the slightly pitched gravel on hard pack proves to be a challenge to the 3 year old hiker. If I can't find any well treaded shoes for a decent price (they grow out of them in just a few months so I don't want to spend a lot), I am contemplating making them some screw shoes like I have so frequently used in the winter.
Despite all this though, they really enjoy exploring the trails and LOVE the mountains, so I am confident they will make great improvements over time and before long, I'll be struggling to keep up with them.
Isabelle climbed up most of Sanitas this spring.
Enjoying some great hiking in the San Juans a few weeks ago.
Amelie and I hiked Green Mountain last week via W. Ridge
Shortly after this photo, we were running off the peak at full speed because of a thunder storm.
Yesterday, we hiked from Realization Point on Flagstaff Road, up Greenman/Ranger onto the NW Ridge. I was tempted to coax them to the summit of Green, but we were short on food and there was a good chance I would have ended up carrying both of the down most of it. Was a good call.
Teaching them how to poach closed trails at a young age on the new Gregory Road bypass the parallels the washout on the North side.
The new trail soon ends, then some mellow bushwhacking.
Negotiating a washout.
Jellybean break
Cranking up some steps.
Another snack break
They thought the washout was "sad"
