Today wes headed out to Red Rock for another hike.  This time, all four of us were in the car for the trip and we were excited.  It had been quite a while since we had gone for a family hike.  Everyone’s Camelback was filled and packed.  We had hats and gloves for everyone, and even snacks.  On the way out the door, Michelle decided to grab her winter coat just in case she was cold.  I made fun of her and said she didn’t need it in addition to the fleece she was already wearing.

On the drive out to Red Rock we were watching the sun dapple the mountains through the clouds, and admiring how beautiful the mountains were.  The closer we got we began to realize that the tops of some of the mountains were actually in the clouds, which was gorgeous, but made us happy we hadn’t been planning on climbing very high.

Our chosen trail for the day was the La Madre Spring trail which is part of the La Madre Wilderness Area in the northwestern corner of the Red Rocks Conservation Area.  The trail is pretty straightforward and not overly challenging which would make it a good choice for the kids.  We did decide to drive into the trailhead, something most people don’t do because the road isn’t exactly car friendly.  Michelle and Chloe were a little nervous at first, but I think they enjoyed it more the further we went.

We got to the parking spot and realized that the grown-ups had made a mistake.  In packing to go, and making sure that we didn’t forget food (like last time), apparently no one made sure Chloe had something warm to wear.  No fleece.  No windbreaker.  I’m sure she would be warm enough in that long sleeve cotton shirt.  After all, it was mid-50’s and it was only hailing, no rain.  I guess I hadn’t mentioned that yet…  The hail was making quite a noise on the soft top of the Jeep, and the kids seemed a little apprehensive.

So, we had to address the issue of our youngest child potentially freezing.  Well it was a good thing Michelle brought her jacket.  We had Rylie give Chloe her fleece, and Michelle gave Rylie her fleece.  Only that presented another problem.  My wife doesn’t always believe in wearing shirts under fleece, so she was just wearing a sports bra.  I laughed out loud as she put on her winter coat over her bra and we headed out on the trail.

The hike was great.  The trail follows an old road and is obviously pretty traveled.  The kids had a great time spotting “dudong” on the trail.  For those of you not fluent in Korean potty talk, “dudong” is the Korean word for poop.  And let me tell you, there was plenty, and they were enjoying it.  It was quite amusing.

As we got close to the top, as is typical it was indicated by Chloe riding on my shoulders, the hail picked up again and actually started to sting.  We ate quickly at the top and headed back toward the Jeep.  The hike down took far less time than the walk up and we were blessed with some sun on our faces.

We didn’t see any animals, only remnants of their presence.  The kids really enjoyed it, and the people driving by the Jeep at the end of the hike enjoyed my wife changing back into her fleece.  Just kidding honey, I’m sure they didn’t see anything…