Our “Forest Hike”

I was thinking of my next adventure to share with you, so I asked my grandkids what they would like to do. They said they would like to go for a hike in a forest.

I started thinking about all of the forests around our area. We have a lot, but I wasn’t so sure I wanted to take them out where I could get them lost. I then thought of Seaquest Park. It has a beautiful mature forest, with lots of ferns and tall big trees. I really like that they have trails marked with maps so you can see where you are along the way.

We chose a sunny Friday to be our hike day. We thought it would be fun to make lunches and take them with us to eat on the trail. I let them choose their favorites for our lunch. They came to my house and we made ham and cheese sandwiches with chips, yogurt, trail mix and soda.

It was already lunch time we decided to eat at the picnic tables by the playground in Seaquest Park, then head out on a trail for our hike.

One of the kids asked what the difference between a hike and a walk were.  Hmmm, I didn’t have an answer for that. Probably our hike was really a ‘walk in the woods’ … but to us, it was a hike!

The forest was beautiful and green, even after our dry summer. We stopped every few feet to look at a worm, slug, mushrooms or even little bug holes in the dirt. The kids had a wonderful time. We talked about different leaves and cones they saw. This time of year there are a lot of spider webs to be seen and the kids took time to check many of them out. We talked about trees that had fallen and how they helped the animals and other plants while they rotted and turned back to soil. There were a lot of lessons to be shared with the kids. Their mom, Laurie, and I had a fun time doing that.

We probably hiked two miles and ended back up at the car.  The kids were ready for a drink by the time we were back. It would have been a good idea to have taken water with us, but it worked out fine in the end.

There were a lot of Maple trees out in the forest.  In a few weeks their leaves will be yellow and red and a beautiful time to go for a “Forest Hike” with your family.

A “Forest Hike” at Seaquest Park:

From I-5 take exit 49 (Toutle/Castle Rock). Turn east onto Hwy 504 (Spirit Lake Hwy). Drive 5.2 miles. At milepost 5.2 the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center is on your right and Seaquest State Park is across the street, there is a pedestrian tunnel under Hwy. 504 that connects both parking lots. You can drive into the park and park in an area close to where you will take a trail for your hike.

I’m sure I don’t know all of the fun things to do or places to take kids in our area – if you have a suggestion and we use it in an article you will receive a prize.  Logon to our website and fill in the suggestion box.  Past articles are listed there as well.  www.gottabefun.com/bugler.htm