New Hiking Gear

Two weekends ago, Jameson and I ventured into REI for something small. Many, many dollars later, we emerged with a new camelbak for him and for me.

What can I say? I'm a sucker for gear, for REI, and for this boy. It wasn't a hard sell.

Then we had to actually USE the gear. "When are we going hiking, Mama?" Now there's a phrase I love to hear. He kept on asking, but we kept on having soccer games and end-of-year picnics and all sorts of things going on. When we finally had a few free hours, it was over 90-degrees out. But we had new gear, and we had to go hiking.

I chose a shady, hilly trail and filled those new camelbaks with lots of ice water. Jameson packed his favorite stuffed animals and picked out some snacks, and off we went.

And so we hiked. My whole being swelled with happiness as we set off, and this sweet boy held my hand and chatted away about nothing and everything.

We didn't hike far and we took many breaks. In fact, it was more "break" than hike, but I didn't mind. It was great to be in the woods and trying out new gear and spending time with Jameson.