Hiking Arabia

Sam's birthday was a couple of weeks ago and he wanted to do something outside. It was a gorgeous fall day so I was all for it. We packed up the dogs and got our backpacks together and off we went. Arabia Mountain is only a few miles from our house so it didn't take us long to arrive. Willa jumps in and out of the Jeep by herself. Bruce acts like he is going to but then thinks about it too much and balks. So he, the heavier of the two, get lifted in and out of the Jeep. We started off hiking with me walking Willa and Sam walking Bruce. However, Willa, having been abandoned on that mountain, knew her way around and pulled me the entire time. So we switched. Bruce tends to be slightly more of a relaxed walker. He gets distracted by things to smell very easily, which gives me a chance to catch my breath. Arabia is gorgeous, especially in the fall. There are two different small lakes and several old buildings that are made from the quarried rock of the mountain. The beautiful thing about them is that nature is taking the structures back over. Which just goes to show that we need nature, nature doesn't need us. In fact, nature would probably be much happier if we all went away. When it came time toward the end of the trip to hike up the small mountain, we switched dogs and I allowed Willa's energetic little body to pull me up the mountain. It was awesome! Once to the top, we took a snack break and just took in the clean air and surrounding landscape. I feel so much cleaner when I'm out of the city. I can breather easier, think clearer, I just feel better. We came back down from the mountain and I baked Sam a chocolate birthday cake and chili. We ate, drank beer, and watched the best episode of Walking Dead ever. It was a great birthday for Sam and a great day for us as a family.
Here's some photos: