I am normally not much of a nature enthusiast, but am starting to find that hiking, biking and other strenuous outdoor activities are the only way to burn my daughter’s endless amount of energy.

After a quick Google search, I found the Washington Trail Associations short list of good hikes for kids, Twin Falls being among the list. Twin Falls State Park is about 45 minutes away from Seattle, and was rated as easy, so I thought “why not.”

Little did I realize it would be an adventure (with a good payoff).

Being that it was me in charge of this trip, I threw a few items in a backpack (because I always see hikers in movies carrying backpacks) and piled Stella and myself in the car.  As we headed off towards the mountain, it dawned on me that I needed to purchase a Discovery Pass.

Pit stop. Sporting Goods Store. Discovery Pass acquired.

I failed to realize how close Twin Falls State Park was to Snoqualmie Pass and had a moment of panic when I saw a sign stating that traction tires were required for the pass. Fortunately, our exit was before the Pass.

Stella and I were one of the few cars in the lot (I think the rainy day was keeping people away) and we headed out on the trail.  The trail starts along the river, and Stella and I happily chatted as we walked.  An occasional hiker passed us, and I did notice just how friendly people are while hiking – go figure.

And while I did not pack anything that would have been good for a hike – bandages, rain gear, etc, I did pack some water and some trail mix.  Stella happily munched as we walked along.

The trail turned from the river and started to wind through the forest.  I have this fear of the woods – axe murderer territory (too many scary movies), but I tried to not show my anxiety.  Apparently, these things are hereditary, as Stella started worrying about wolves.

Fortunately, we ran into more humans, and one friendly group let us know we didn’t have too much further to go to see the falls.

A bit more twisting through the woods and we walked onto a bridge with this beautiful view:

 

Our hike was a total of 3 miles round trip and Stella walked the entire way!  I was so proud of her!

She actually took a nap on the way home and was relaxed for the rest of the evening – we were finally able to get rid of some of that intense energy and anxiety.

We also decided we would borrow one of my brother’s dogs for our next hike – to keep away wolves (and axe murderers). Looking at the WTA’s list, I think Franklin Falls will be our next adventure – we can keep with the waterfall theme.