My house has been in a state of chaos since school got out. I’ve somehow managed to stay on top of chores, but with the kids home all day, things are going missing a lot. Favorite toys, shoes, the maple syrup (where the heck is it?). I’ve spent a lot of time looking for things. Luckily, all we’ve really needed are some flip flops and a fish net to get out and go lately. Our Juneau spring has been a very summery segue into, um, summer.
We’ve squeezed in a few good hikes over the last week. On Memorial Day, we all hiked Alaska’s first road, aka Perseverance Trail. J & Mighty hiked the whole six miles by themselves! Aside from having a necessary death grip on them at Ebner Falls, the trip went off without a hitch. The weather was so hot and sunny–just like one of the first times I walked this trail with my sister back in 1999 (remember, Nem? It was one of the hottest days I ever remember having in Juneau!).
J and I took a hike alone together on Sunday. I rarely ever get time alone with him so it was really nice. I wondered if we could flat out hike or if I’d have to keep my pace slower for him. As it turns out, I’m really out of shape and he’s seven. He kicked my behind! We did the Mt. Roberts trail to the top of the tram: a short but often steep 2.5 mile hike that has some outstanding lookouts over downtown Juneau. There’s also a visitor center and a restaurant at the top, only accessible by tram or foot. We had some lunch at the top and trammed it downtown for some ice cream.
It felt awesome to be able to haul and not have to worry about little ones in the pack or lagging behind. I love that J’s old enough to take with me! I foresee this becoming part of our weekend routine, if I can steal him away from fishing with dad. On second thought, lazing by the river with a fishing pole and the family doesn’t sound so bad to me either.
After our tram ride down and a sloppy mint chocolate chip double scoop, we enjoyed a quick walk through town to pick up our car at the trailhead. Flowers galore! We stopped to smell them all.
Check my flickr for more hiking pictures; I had so many, it was hard to be selective about which ones to post!
