We decided to spend Labor Day, our only holiday until Thanksgiving, exploring a bit more of this great state. I'd recently heard about Hacklebarney State Park, and thought it worth checking out. When I learned that Jenny, Dave & Ellen were thinking about going for a picnic I suggested we join forces.
Even though the day dawned cloudy, we set off early afternoon for our grand adventures. Unfortunately, it was raining the whole way there, and for a bit after getting there, so we hung out in our cars for a bit, til it slowed enough to brave. This was the first time we've done anything like this with Kyalo, and it won't be our last!
Hiking with two toddlers -- active tho they are -- proved to be slow going. That, plus a lot of over grown/untended trails (we thank Hurricane Sandy for that, we think) meant that we did a lot of back tracking. Fortunately, it was pretty!
We finally settled on a trail that led us to the river, by way of a little play ground/picnic area. If everything weren't wet, it would have been a great place to rest. Instead, we just let the kids play on the structure for a bit, and to give Dave and Dexter a break from carrying them.
Once we got to the river, I took the chance to take some family photos.
we've only known each other a year a half.
Perhaps it wasn't quite as we'd envisioned, but I'd say it was a worthwhile venture. It was certainly nice to be out surrounded by so much nature, and the sound of the rushing river. Nice to remember there's more to New Jersey than Newark and Belleville, which is where we spend 99% of our time. Since the hike Kyalo's been asking to "ah-go, hike?" and to, "draw! hike!" (any ideas how to draw a hike would be welcome). Needless to say, there will be more hiking (or meandering, as it may be) in our future.
Also, I'd like to thank our friendly Mystery Mailer for the sweet package of hiking pants and new t-shirt. Kyalo's all the more prepared now.
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