Family Hike at Frick

We recently had a few days of ugly, rainy, stormy weather here in the Burgh. So I was thrilled to finally have a warm weekend to spend outside. The boys and I decided to take a little hike at one of my favorite Pittsburgh parks, and one of the largest parks in the area Frick Park.

We took our one year old Puggle, grabbed the camel pack, piled on the sunscreen and headed out the door. When we got to the park, we filled up a jug of water for Steele (our dog) and started on the Lower Riverview trail, (which I've hiked before alone) and just kept walking. 

We walked through wooded areas and lots of uneven territory. We eventually came up to another trail, that I'd not hiked before... and of course, my husband was feeling adventurous so we kept on. 

 

After what felt like several miles of walking, we realized we didn't exactly know how to get back to our starting point. I LOVE hiking, and being outdoors, but the frustration definitely kicks in a little quicker when you're hiking with a kid, a dog, and a thrill-seeking, know-it-all husband who navigates us through the most wooded of paths.

We saw a snake during this hike, and more large spiders than I have ever seen in my life. No way was this similar to our most memorable hikes in Hawaii when we were rewarded with GORGEOUS picturesque views, and waterfalls, I couldn't help but keep thinking.

Any who, after 2 hours of walking, changing course, and backtracking we finally made our way out. And I swear we had to have walked nearly 5 miles. I let go of my frustration and most definitely had to give props to our son Aiden who hiked all on his own, with minimal complaining. And what was even more surprising, after the hike he STILL had enough energy to check out the playground and test out the popular big "Blue Slide." 

 

A few things I learned from this hike;

1. do NOT wear Nike Frees on a hike! I felt every single rock with each step and I now have blisters on my feet and toes. :(

2. Wear some sort of bug repellant. I normally try to avoid things with chemicals and harsh ingredients so I found an interesting DIY recipe from the Curious About Health-blog to make your own, or you can use one of those clip on ones.

3. No matter how much you PLAN, PREPARE, and PREVENT, things will rarely EVER go according to plan. What is important is how you handle and learn from each situation despite the small obstacles and frustrations!

 

I have to say, overall we had a great day and another great adventure to add to our list of memories! Until our next hike :)

Couldn't fit Steele in this pic... and this was before the mild complaints and frustration. ;) 

Checking out the Big Blue Slide after the hike