Stewart Falls River Valley Hike

Mountain Mom and little g with Stewart Falls in the background.
Big E on the trail.
Big E by the river with his trusty digger.
I was so proud of Big E on this hike.  As a 3 1/2 year old with short legs I did not expect him to hike so well for so long.  We took off toward Stewart Falls first thing in the morning and enjoyed wildflowers, warm weather and a bubbling brook for our trouble.  Little g was in the hiking pack for the first time and only complained when I stopped moving.
I’ve noticed that hiking with Big E is most successful with a destination involving water.  Most of the posts on this blog involve Big E throwing something into water.  What can I say?  There’s something magical in watching and listening to water.  Even though we didn’t make it all the way to Stewart Falls the water flowing down the mountain from the falls was enough of a distraction for this little guy.  The beautiful mountains, green meadow dotted with wildflowers and warm sun on my face was enough for me.  What a beautiful world.

Big E throwing rocks

These photos are of Big E and his buddy Jack throwing rocks into the pond at Sundance resort. I’ve found that the best kind of ‘hike’ for three year olds involve some sort of water either to look at or play in. Big E especially loves throwing rocks so this was a big win. I was impressed that he and Jack did so well, even with some steep sections of the trail. Playing I Spy along the way seems to keep him motivated. Conveniently I kept spying things further along in the direction I wanted to travel.

We miss Jack, his sister and mommy who came on this hike with us. Hopefully we can have more adventures with them soon!