Monday, April 4 (Anson's birthday), we went to Bears Den after some morning reading. Tiny sported a wonderful ensemble of leopard-print leggings with a hole in the knee paired with a shiny, fancy dress and, later, a hooded sweatshirt.
We accidentally drove up to the parking lot of the viewpoint and missed the parking lot for the hike. We went out to the rocky lookout area, picnicked, and scrambled around. The day was very cold, but it's a fun place. Rock scrambling is a favorite Kringel activity.
From Bears Den, we headed to the Billy Goat Trail on the Maryland side of Great Falls while Coco went home for naps and birthday preparations. The girls passed out while we drove.
We had a really lovely walk along the river. Later in spring with foliage would have been spectacular.
Out of the gate, Wrenzy and Ever were walking incredibly slowly and looked deep in conversation.
Everyone had to take turns crossing the water via this fallen tree, just for fun.
Tiny went exploring.
It was a miracle no one fell in the water.
Tiny and Wrenzy started doing some really impressive Spider-Man leaping from rock to rock. I didn't get a good sample on video.
Sweet Tines collected a whole bunch of shells but had a hard time holding onto them while she climbed.
The girls were jumping off rocks and things along the side of the trail, and Jim taught them about parkour. We even paused for a viewing of a clip from the parkour episode of The Office and a few other parkour videos. The rest of the walk, every time anyone hopped on/off something, he or she called out, "Parkour!" I think there was only one injury.
Wrenzy played necktie on the way back.
We made it back in perfect time for Anson's birthday dinner - dino nuggets, mac and cheese, and raspberries.
The birthday cake was Anson's standard selection - chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and M&Ms, marshmallows, and trucks on top.
A lovely day!