Tough Chicks

So we went for a hike last Saturday at the same place we went to a few weekends ago, but we wanted to do the other side. This hike was supposed to be 3 miles around a lake. It started out nice, but after a mile we hear gun fire. Remember, this place is a Wildlife Management Area, however, the last time we went it was on a Sunday and they don't allow hunting on Sundays. This was a Saturday. We thought hunting season was over...guess not. I was starting to freak out. Thankfully, the kids were wearing outfits they picked out themselves...Sadie had a flowered dress, pink fleece, and neon green pants. We would definitely stand out! Plus, they were loud..really loud. They were singing Jingle Bells and made up songs until we couldn't take it anymore. So...now we're about 2 miles into it. We pass some people on horses. Okay...if they're on the trail it must be okay! I felt better until one woman said, "Just watch out for the hunters hiding in the bushes ahead." WHAT??? Are you kidding me? By this point I was thinking, well, it's only 3 miles and we're two into it..it's better to just make a lot of noise and keep going. Plus...we're on a hiking path! So...we keep going. We see the hunters not too far up the path...they wave and we start walking up a big hill. At the top, we see another hunter in full camo holding a turkey decoy. Very eerie. We must be almost done I'm thinking. Oh no...we catch a glimpse of the lake and we haven't even made it half way around! What the hay??? So...we keep on going. Now let me tell you that by this point it was about 4:15. It would be dark soon and we had a long way to go. It started to get tense...especially when I said..."There's no way this is 3 miles!" Danny said, "That's what the map said!" Hmmm.... We trudged on. After a few minutes, we reached the halfway point & took a quick break. I felt better. We were out in the open and I could see the spot that we needed to get to. We kept going only to find out that the trail disappeared. So...we decided to follow the lake around the shore so we didn't get lost. Well...that didn't work because there were inlets that we had to walk around and TONS of thorns. We were walking through some serious brush. By this point, the sun was almost at the tree tops, the kids have had it, and I'm beyond frustrated. Did I mention the firing range around the corner from us? It sounded like we were in a battlefield. We walked & walked through thick mud, vines, tall grass, and various types of thorns until FINALLY we saw a car at the pier we needed to get to. But that wasn't it...we still had to hike another 3/4 mile down the road to get to our car. Thankfully, Danny offered to go get the car while I waited for the kids. They were spent, but I was so impressed with how well they did. I said, "Girls...you were such great hikers today. Super tough!" Elise said, "We're tough chicks!" Yes they were!

So...we will not be doing that hike again and don't recommend it to our friends with kids :0). It ended up being about 5 miles not including the road Danny took to the car. Did I also mention I ran 5 miles that morning?