A few weeks ago, in the middle of the craziest cold spell we’ve had in a LONG time here in St. Louis, we took the kids hiking to get out of the house and I’m SO glad we did! Hiking with kids in COLD weather can feel intimidating but let me tell you – we’ve been doing this since Gray was 3 and we’ve never looked back! Bundle your kids up, pack lots of snacks and go hike! Take your time, let them climb trees, jump from stumps and play with the ice (we let them each break ONE piece from non-special places – we never let them break pieces from the most spectacular of ice flows). Our kids ALWAYS hike in rain or snow boots no matter the time of year b/c allowing them to get wet seriously helps keep them interested.
Taking our time – letting them lead the way – never rushing them if they’ve found a fun spot to explore deeper – all helps keep them interested and loving the hike!
These ice bubbles were FASCINATING! All of us were totally mesmerized by them!
You can tell how very thick this ice was! It was gorgeous!
One of the biggest reasons we hike mostly in the winter is b/c when the forest is mostly dormant you can explore off the path with less risk of ticks, spider webs or poison ivy – all things that totally freak me out!
This log looked like Starry Night to us!
Also – if anyone knows WHAT IN THE HECK was happening here we’d love to know more! Our guess was ground water that froze quickly but we really have no idea – there were these small ribbons of ice randomly on the ground!
Anyway – GO HIKE before winter is over!