Hiking NJ

We decided to go hiking this weekend. A friend of ours knows the trails and offered to show us the way, so we bundled James up and set off around noon yesterday. We had thought to put James in his cocoon of a stroller but he would have none of it.
So out of the stroller he came and we carried him. I had the song from 'Sound of Music' playing in my head as we hiked as a family; one pushing the stroller with diaper bag and the other carrying the heavy child. "Over every mountain, cross every stream, follow every rainbow....." Except this is New Jersey and although where we hiked IS considered a 'mountain' I don't think it really counts after having lived near the Rockies. It did have some nice swinging vines though and I made Daniel try one out for good measure.

Despite not being a mountain, I did get a nice workout going up and down the hills. On the biggest, I was carrying James and giving myself a mental pep-talk to make it to the crest of the hill from which, supposedly, you can see the skyline of New York City. I made it to the crest to discover it was only a dip and there was a good deal more hill to go. Mentally crushed, I traded James for a stroller; which doesn't usually spontaneously throw its weight to one side and is therefore easier to take up any size hill.

It was steeper than it looks!

We made it to the top of the hill and enjoyed the view and the rest. James received his first diaper change in the wild where the wind blows cold. It was traumatic for all concerned but happily he will not remember it and stroller fabric can be washed. Ahhhhh.... nature.

By the end of our hike James had fallen asleep in my arms and didn't even wake up upon being deposited in his car seat.

Our friend, Reed, showed us some more trails close by which we are planning to try soon.