Day 76

We went hiking with our cousins Tami, Eddie, Elizabeth and Jerry at Mathiessen State Park.  It was ridiculously overcrowded, parking was stressful, the trails were muddy, and the best trails were closed.  We hiked aimlessly for a long time from the overflow parking area across a long, boring horse trail to the dells, and then we did lots of stairs to get to the lower dells.  Sarah and Elizabeth crossed the slippery, muddy bridge and swam across to a waterfall.  Sarah said she had a blast, so it was all worth it.  She needed a good time, and it's been awhile since she's had one. 

It was also worth it because I got to know Jerry better.  I've only met him once before today, and he was kind of grouchy that day, so this is the first time we've really talked, and I fell in love with him!  He's very wise, especially for an 11-year-old.  I was talking to him about girls.  I said they don't like to be referred to as "sturdy".  He said, "Why not?  Sturdy means strong?  And strong is good?"  I said, "Yes, but when boys say 'sturdy', girls hear 'fat'."  He sputtered exasperatedly and said, "Girls are so hard to talk to!"  He asked me if I was his auntie, and I explained that his mom's mom and my mom's mom are sisters, so that makes us cousins.  That was understandably confusing, so he just called me "auntie" the rest of the day.

We always enjoy being with them, so even though the hike was a bust, it was nice.  It's the first time I've ridden with Noah for a long distance, and I learned that he is a very good driver.  Now we are exhausted and filthy.  I set a new record: almost 20,000 steps!  My feet are all done.