The Big Hike Part I

Pretty sweet hike...advertised as "strenuous", this hike went from the road basically straight up to the plateau where this shorter trail intersected with a couple of the longer trails.  The trail itself was marked by sticks with numbers on them which were not always obvious to the hiker.  Daniel took the lead and did a great job figuring out where to go next.  There were parts of this hike where we were scrambling on hands and feet...it was borderline too hard for Josh, though he is such a trooper he stuck with it and did not complain at all.  I don't think it occured to HIM that it might have been just a touch hard.  If the big kids could do it, he was game, and that was all there was to it.  I was so proud of them after this hike.  Note that we started at the trailhead where the kids and then the kids and I are standing and we hiked all the way to the top of the mountain that is behind us in those pictures.  It was terrific, and a perfect day. Again, few people, plenty of parking and frankly PERFECT weather.  Not hot, not too cool, the sun was shining and there was just a slight breeze....loved, loved, loved the Badlands.