melonstew: Hiking in the Woods with Little Miss Innocent

We decided to take the girls to the Englewood Metropark for a little hike to see the waterfalls. Lulu LOVES hiking. She loves the trees, the creeks, the mud, the animals we see (who must be deaf because Lulu also likes to sing and holler at the top of her lungs) and all the little sticks, rocks, bugs, leaves, and nuts she finds along the way.

Personally, my favorite part are the old growth trees. There aren't many of them, but when I find one I just stand and admire the sheer size and age of it.

Somewhere along the way, during this particular hike, M picked up a stick to use as a walking stick. It was a fine stick. The perfect height and weight and balance. She walked along with her newly found perfect walking stick and hummed a sweet song, just like Snow White hummed to the little birdies in that story. Princess humming, I dare say.

So we walked and hummed and skipped along looking at trees and nuts and etc, etc. We finally arrived at our destination, the waterfall. Oh, did I mention that we have had a drought? Even the pathways were dried up and cracked so my expectations of the waterfall were not high.

(Note the stick, the precious walking stick, that M is using to guide her through the woods.)

The fall wasn't totally dry. There was a little bit of water flowing over the edge. M set down her walking stick and climbed the railing to put her hand in the trickling waterfall.

At this point Lulu grabbed the walking stick and promptly threw it into the woods on the other, non-accessible, side of the waterfall. As. Far. As. She. Could.