First Forest Foray

This winter has been a doozy. Not so much for the coldness, but that we've all been so sick! I keep thinking we're past it, and then someone else gets knocked over. Happily, there are occasional reprieves. As it happened, there was a weekend when we were all on the better side of healthy AND the weather was unexpectedly nice. With Chicago weather, there's no telling how long it'll last (in health and warmth), and I decided to seize the day and dragged my kids out into the woods.

Venturing into the woods with kids is a mixed bag... they get so excited to get out there, but then you get going and then they're ooooooh soooooo tiiiiiired. Ah well, fresh air is good for the soul and experiences build memories, right? Hopefully good ones!

It was a beautiful day. There's not much color poking up through last fall's growth, but the sky was blue and the air was warm, and there were lots of people out enjoying the day, bringing a great energy to it all. We even saw a couple white tailed deer strolling across the paths.

We walked about a mile and a half, over all. They really were troopers. Plus, it didn't hurt that there were benches and little shelters (or, "tree houses" as the boys dubbed them)  at regular intervals along the trail for snack breaks and rests.

However, full disclosure... It was my turn to get sick the next day. Still, I'd totally do it again.