First hike!

 So, we're much more settled now. Erik and the girls are busy with school and work. I am busy healing from my surgery. Two weeks out tomorrow! Then I get to start doing a tiny bit more. I have been allowed to start taking walks, 2 miles per day has been encouraged by my surgeon.

 Yesterday was the 1st day that we'd gotten out for a walk somewhere besides our neighborhood. It was Heaven! The temperature was around 50, the sun was out, a bit windy, but just beautiful! We decided to check out a paved trail (a bit too muddy out with all the snow melting) just about 5 miles from our house.

 Our goal was to go just to a train trestle that we had seen in the distance. As we approached the trestle, we could hear running water, so we decided to go a little further just to see what it was. We were so happy that we did! As we walked up to a little valley just off the trail, we could see the brook. Resting at the brook, was a female moose!

Our attempt to take a picture of the moose.

 She looked at us and decided to get up and walk up the other side of the valley, just to be a little further away from us. (I was glad about that, because I had images of the story that Erik told about being chased by a mad mommy moose when he was in Canada during college.) Unfortunately, the sun was facing us, so our attempt at capturing her on the camera failed. What a neat experience though!

  

Stop to enjoy the view.

Mia's biggest climb ever!! She was very proud.

  Erik decided that the trail just wasn't exciting enough, so he and the girls climbed up a little ways to explore. I kept my post-surgical self down on flat ground. After taking a few pictures, I had to walk ahead because it was a little too much to see my babies up so high! We all survived.:-)

Paige enjoyed the exploratory climb. She stayed well ahead of the other two.