"Go on a hike!"

We've been slowly introducing Eli to the concept of hiking, starting with shorter, easy walks thorugh the woods to get him excited about this enjoyable outdoor activity. When we suggested a hike to Eli in Oregon, he was pretty excited! :)

Mid-week we visited Ecola State Park (near Cannon Beach) with Andrew and Jill to explore and enjoy the Clatsop Loop Trail. This hike is actually part of the Lewis and Clark Trail, so we learned some things along the way, and it was neat to see part of where they'd been. The hike proved more challenging than we thought (the first mile and a quarter just went up), and we weren’t able to see the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse (the highlight/goal of the hike) through the fog. This lighthouse has a really amazing story, so it was a bummer to miss seeing it. Still, it was a beautiful hike and well worth the effort. Eli and Ryan had some great bonding time, as Eli spent the vast majority of the hike on Ryan’s shoulders. They had fun exploring together, and our creative little musician even managed to make a drum out of a tree branch, using a stick he picked up to bring back to Zoe! :)It was great to be out enjoying God’s creation together, hiking, climbing, and exploring.