Last summer Clara desperately wanted to climb Little Mt. Si. I had told her that she couldn't try to climb Mt. Si without first hiking up the 1,200 feet to the top of the little mountain so she put it on her mental to-do list. Unfortunately, the one time we tried (with Lilly, Henry, and Tokul) we bailed at the climbing walls when Lilly and Henry decided they were done.
Since Amy was going to be out of town for Father's Day weekend we celebrated a week early. Tradition dictates we do a family hike. Last year we drove the truck into the ground at Snoquera Falls and I had equally grand plans for this year, but the weather collapsed on me. Instead of bailing we decided to give Little Si another shot.
Both Clara and Lilly have hiked the distance and gain of Little Si before so I had little doubt they'd make it to the top. The big variable was Henry and he justified our concern only about a mile in from the trailhead. Whatever was wrong, there was no soothing him. Amy opted to head back home with him while I continued up with the girls. I was bummed because it was supposed to be a family hike, but it was better than heading home without bagging the summit.
After she left the girls kicked it into overdrive and we made great time up the trail. They were mostly concerned with playing and looking at rocks as we climbed so I think they hardly noticed the distance or the elevation gain. We ate lunch in the fern valley and were shortly afterward fighting for space on the rocky summit.
Clara was like a mountain goat with sure feet. I wasn't as confident Lilly would avoid tragedy so I stayed close to her. We got some pictures, ate some snack, and headed down.
Just below the summit we ran into a family with a dog named Wendy. Lilly got to pet her, but Clara shied away. This, of course, meant that Clara was sad she hadn't taken advantage of the opportunity and I tried to placate her with the idea that we'd likely be able to pet Wendy either when the family passed us or at the trailhead. However, Wendy flew by us and then we spent much of the rest of the hike down chasing after them. When we did catch up Clara gave Wendy a pet or two and was satisfied.
When we got within 15 minutes of the trailhead I called Amy for a ride home. Poor Henry had been kept awake all this time since Amy didn't know when we'd need a lift. He was in a sorry state when they arrived to take us home. The girls, however, couldn't stop talking about the trip and Clara now has her eyes firmly set on the summit of Mt. Si.
Total distance was about five miles and gain was close to 1,200 feet.
