Josh gets to try out the Kelty carrier! We love this thing. Dad & Mom Witt got it for me for my birthday several years ago and I'm so glad they did! It is amazing how content both of our boys have been in it.
Nathan checking on his little bro. He's excited to get to hike on his own this year! While he could walk last year, it was still much easier to take him IN the carrier. I was also pregnant with Josh so it didn't happen too much. Here's a hike we went on last year with Aunt Cole with Nathan in the carrier. And here's a hike we went on with Nathan when he was almost 11 months old. It's almost hard to remember when we did a hike on our own with no kids like this one!
We went to Ute Valley Park again. It was a great place for Nathan to get familiar with walking on some rocky terrain, yet wasn't steep and was quite manageable for him. He loved it.
Josh ready to go with his handy sun shade!
We're curious how he will do...if he will be content and even fall asleep like Nathan used to.
Nathan is off and running at the beginning of the trail!
Matt noted that Josh was quite a bit lighter than carrying a 30 pound Nathan last year!
Check Nathan out running back in the background!
He was totally loving it.
Trying to get the little stinker to take a picture with me. Love the handle on his backpack...ha ha!
Got him!
Nathan slipped on one of the rocks and took a small fall. Luckily, he was ready with band aids from Nana in his pack!
Band aids make every fall worth it. Especially colored ones.
Nathan and I were trailing behind Matt & Josh as Nathan would now hold my hand for some of the rockier parts and Matt wanted to keep moving to try and get Josh to fall asleep. We realized when he hiked with Nathan in the pack we were going a much faster pace!
Nathan just about caught up to his daddy here.
It was shortly after this, I don't know how long exactly, that we were scared out of our wits. The good news is that Matt was still walking in front of Nathan and me.
Nathan and I were traipsing along behind when we suddenly hear Matt say, "Stop!" Firmly yet calmly.
I glance up startled to see and hear a SNAKE on the edge of the trail, several feet in front of Matt, hissing and RATTLING coiled with his upper body in an "S" shape looking right at us.
It looked JUST LIKE THIS.
From Matt's perspective, he said he glanced down and thought it was a stick at first as it was stretched out. Then it quickly moved into the coiled, hissing, rattling stance as he got closer, and he knew it wasn't! We later learned this position is a sign that the rattlesnake is ready to strike. Yikes. The above picture was labeled on the internet as "angry prairie rattler".
Did I mention Matt and I hate snakes?
Well, you know me being all calm and controlled in these situations, I recall grabbing Nathan who was to the right side of me (snake on the left side of the trail so quite a bit of distance and people between Nathan and the snake...thank goodness. I think I yelled, "Nathan!" as I grabbed him as he was trotting along and moved him further out of the way against me.
Later we read that snakes don't have ears...probably a good thing. But they feel the vibrations of sounds and your feet approaching them.
My husband (I'm so proud) calmly and smartly got real still and slowly backed away from the snake. As the distance between him and Matt grew we all relaxed a bit but were still unsure what to do.
Meanwhile, a lady hiker came behind us and inquired as to what was going on. We told her about the rattlesnake and she opted to just turn around and head back! We debated stepping to the other side of the path (though we weren't sure how fast snakes could move and what their striking distance was)but ultimately decided to turn around as well as we knew it would take awhile to get back and it was getting late. But not before I tried to take a couple pictures of course. By this time the snake had stretched out, obviously not feeling threatened any longer.
I wanted to be able to identify it later.
After doing some research, I'm pretty positive this was a Western Rattlesnake, also called a Prairie Rattler. The picture I posted above is the snake we actually believe it was.
I tried to get a little closer because I knew I wasn't capturing it well and he turned his head around and hissed and rattled at me. That's when Matt said it was time for me to be done and for us to head back!
This one is not clear on his head because of the movement and my hand probably moved also because I was startled! Isn't it amazing how well he blends in to the surroundings?
Right after this, as we turned back, the rattlesnake calmed down again no longer feeling threatened and did slither down the hill. I know this because as we were walking back I saw another hiker coming towards us from the direction of the snake. I jogged back toward the area of the snake...not too close, to tell him about the rattlesnake sighting and to be careful. He inquired where exactly as he was a distance from me so I went back to the spot to find him moving quickly down the hill. He was grateful for the heads up and must have told another lady on his way back because she, told US about a rattlesnake in the area that a man had warned her of! I love how human kind at it's purest, really does watch out for one another.
We decided it was actually good for this to happen to us because it never occurred to Matt or I to watch out for snakes! And we realized we know nothing about them in general or the species we might encounter in Colorado. And we are hiking with two young kids. Real smart. So we have become well read in the matter...well, at least enough to know what to do, what not to do, what to expect, how fast they strike and to what distance they can strike (1/3 to 1/2 the length of their body), what to do if bit, etc. Turns out they aren't naturally aggressive unless they feel threatened. So you are supposed to freeze like a tree and move back slowly giving them an escape. Yay Matt! Thank you, Lord for placing Matt up by the snake and not me (or Nathan)! It was also a good scenario to go through with Nathan. He wasn't traumatized but fully knows snakes are dangerous and that daddy doesn't like them. On the way back he says, "I no like snakes, daddy." :)
Guess who slept through this entire ordeal?
Turns out Joshua also likes this cozy backpack to take a nap...as long a he has a pillow to rest his head.
Back at the entrance to Ute Valley, Nathan and I sat at a bench to eat while Matt kept walking up another trail with Josh to prolong his nap a little.
The parking lot. See the burned areas in the mountain? So sad. But those firefighters saved so many lives last July!
Nathan was giving me a snack. He packed those pieces of fruit Nana sewed for him in his backpack!
Look who's awake!
It was a really great weekend for us as a family. It's amazing what some rest, some sun and hanging out and laughing with your loved ones can do for you!
3 comments:
So thankful for your protection, and for colored band aids! Glad that Josh likes the carrier too. More fun hikes ahead this summer!
What fun, although a bit scary, you had. I am so glad you are such good protective parents. Good eyes Matt. You are taking care of your loved ones God has put in your care. I am going to go back now and look at the other shots of B/F Josh.
I love Nathan walking with his back pack. He is getting really good at this. Josh seemed pretty happy with the whole thing too. I don't like that snake though.
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