Ben and Henry were each forced to use their own legs and did quite well. Of course, the attraction of random things on the ground (like rocks, dirt, puddles, streams, etc) was far strong for them given their stature so it was a little slower than had they been in the backpacks. (Not that either boy is really fond of their backpack any longer.)

We started in a light rain with about half an inch of snow on the ground (yeah, it's almost April, I know), but the puddles were plenty enticing for everyone from the boys to Tokul. They were all quickly and thoroughly soaked, but the only problem was dragging them from one puddle to the next.

After tagging Turtle Rock (and summiting, of course) we spent some quality rock throwing time at Tokul's Pool. Amy, Clara, Lilly, and Tokul headed home a little earlier (and a lot faster) and had chili and French onion soup ready to warm us up when we walked in through the garage. The boys were left without drawers, but didn't seem to mind. The girls had already changed into dresses and party shoes. (Everyone knows that while a princess might get dirty while hiking they have to clean up and be presentable the moment they get home.)

Absent a little reluctance to leave the great outdoors the boys did great over the mile and a half. Rob made the mistake of asking what the falls looked like so they'll definitely have to come back to see why the trail was so crowded when we left. Sucker.

Total distance was 1.4 miles and about 140 feet of gain.