The Worst Hike Ever?

As a naturalist, my heart sings when I see a little one fall in love with nature, even if they need a little nudge at first.

Yesterday, we embarked on a 6 mile hike through the beautiful California coast. Rain, a vibrant spirit with a serious love for Minecraft, joined us, along with her mama. Rain was not thrilled. "Why are we even going?" she grumbled. "Can we just do the shortest hike and go home?!" "This is so boring".

We, the "boring adults," shared a glance and gently coaxed her along. We showed excitement toward the fog and magnificent views, which immediately invited complaints of exhaustion from Rains end.

But the moment we hit the trail, it was like a switch flipped. The second she saw cool rocks just begging to be climbed and all the glorious trees, her complaints melted away. 

Suddenly, she was a tiny whirlwind of pure joy, twirling and singing- her infectious laughter echoing through the woods.

Our adventure became a treasure hunt. We found amazing trees with extravagant roots and branches to climb. We also found a charming farm with goats and sheep, and even an owl hunting in the middle of the day! We observed the animals as much as our noses allowed, and stared at the fog rolling in like waves.

While watching the fog, Rain had an interesting question- What is nothingness? We pondered with curiosity from a high branch, feeling so small and so mighty at the same time.

As we continued down to the beach, I noticed her energy accelerate while she zoomed towards the water. The moment we reached Muir Beach, the transformation was complete.

Rain was twirling, giggling, and running along the shoreline, shouting with all her might, "This is the best day ever!" Her mom and I just looked at each other and laughed.

While climbing back up the trail, we stumbled upon a wild swing! We took turns swinging, mesmerized by the view and feeling of flying.

    Photography courtesy of Jola Hyjek

The world outside of screens had won. Our day was a success.

Maybe this wasn't the worst hike ever after all?