I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited for Spring. Mid-February of any other year and I’d be scrambling to get as many ski days in as possible before the temperatures rise, but this year, I welcome the warmer weather. A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I took advantage of an unseasonably warm day to take our two-year-old twins for a hike. The last time we had them on a trail, we carried them in backpacks because they were less than sure-footed. This time, we thought it would be fun to let them start out hiking on their own. I figured after 200 yards, they’d get tired and ask to be carried, so we brought the baby-carrier backpacks too. Two miles and 500 feet of elevation gain later, we’re all standing on the summit of a rocky mountain, and the only time I had to pick up a kid was to drag her away from a patch of snow. The little toddlers hiked the entire way on their own. It’s as if over night, they went from being babies to little kids.
On the one hand, the revelation is a little sad. They’re growing up, not just in theory, but in reality. Before I know it, it’ll be time to convince my daughter to forego college for a nice, safe nunnery.
On the other hand, this Spring is going to be awesome. My kids can do things now. They can go hiking. After that, biking, then rock climbing, then…It’s as if the great wide world is full of promise again, as opposed to being comprised of a laundry list of activities that were border-line impossible with two kids who need to nap every two hours and put foreign objects in their mouths every 19 seconds.
Hello bright world. It’s nice to see you again. So bring on Spring. My family has mountains to climb.
