What are your favorite outdoor activities as a family?
Last weekend, we went hiking at Castlewood Canyon. It was one of those beautiful spring days that fools you into thinking that it won’t snow again. It was breezy and sunny, and we had a backpack filled with hot dogs and buns, and the makings for s’mores.
I carried Oliver in the Baby Bjorn and my husband Kyle shepherded the two girls as we made our way to the bottom of the canyon. There was still quite a bit of snow down there despite all the warm weather we’d had, but much of it had melted, and the creek was running fast. The sun was overhead, and the walls of the canyon cut the wind. It was practically balmy.
The girls ran ahead of us for much of the trail, climbing onto the boulders along the creek and pointing out caves. We all crawled out onto one boulder and had a mid-hike snack of bananas, cereal bars, and Gatorade while we watched the water rush past.
We pressed on, and only as we were reaching the end of the trail did CJ start to whimper and ask to be carried. As we emerged from the canyon, the wind picked up again and the sky clouded over.
We found a picnic area and started a fire in the grill. The wood was really dry, so it didn’t take long before we were ready to roast the hot dogs. Hot dogs never taste so good as they do cooked outside over an open flame (except maybe at a baseball game with a plastic cup of beer).
But as far as I was concerned, the hot dogs were just an appetizer. It was the s’mores I wanted. And they didn’t disappoint. I don’t think there’s any point in eating a marshmallow that hasn’t been toasted.
As we headed home, the younger two kids fell asleep almost immediately in the car, and the rest of us basked in the remaining sunshine, feeling pleasantly exhausted after our afternoon of exertion. It had been a truly lovely (and inexpensive) family outing.
Where do you and your family like to spend time outdoors? I’m looking for suggestions!
My family often went to Green Mountain Falls and San Isabel National Forrest for hiking, fishing and camping. In 7th grade I went with a couple friends and one of their dad’s up to Barr camp, the half way point up Pikes Peak.
I’ve also spent a lot of time at Garden of the Gods, and there are some fun trails up in Morrison/Evergreen, around the lake and around Red Rocks.
We live on a 20 acre ranch so what I do is “throw” my kids outside. Basically, go upstairs, turn off the TV, and tell all three kids to go outside and do something. Play on the swing set or the house, ride bikes, ask if they can ride the horses. Anything to get out. And this year we are planting a huge vegetable garden so there’s tons of planting, watering, weeding, and picking to do. Also, the kids have chickens to take care of so there is something else for them to do. The little ones love to take their “carts”, or strollers, with babies out for a ride which is fun to watch too.
We go letterboxing, which is a combination of a hike and a scavenger hunt that involves using clues to find a box hidden in the woods with a rubber stamp and a logbook inside. It doesn’t cost anything extra, but it makes the hikes more interesting for the kids. To find out more, go to http://www.letterboxing.org
Be Careful at Castle Wood Canyon in the summer time. Once the snakes start coming out – you’ll often find rattle snakes in the middle of the trail sunning themselves there.
I’d be careful about having your kids run far in front of you. I almost stepped on a snake last summer on the canyon, creek-side trail at the west entrance.
Aahh, this sounded like an absolutely perfect way to welcome spring. I’m so happy the warm weather is finally here!