Welch-Dickey With a Monkey on our Back

We hadn't been to our NH place since March when there was still snow on the ground, so by the time Memorial Day weekend came around, we were overdue for our first (non snow) hike of the year. Before Dylan came along, we were traditionally doing the Welch-Dickey peaks near our house for that hike. However, the steep granite ledges, rock scrambling, intensity and time weren't super conducive to infant hiking, so we hadn't done the loop in almost 3 years. However, Dylan's a veteran hiker now (and us veterans of hiking with him), so we thought it was time to brave this route.

Since the route is a loop, there are two different directions you can go. One takes you up the steep granite ledges and the other way you're hiking down them. I thought up would be better for hiking up with a kid in a backpack but Mike disagreed. Well, I got my way which meant I agreed to carry him up the ledges. Yay me!

Mike took first shift with Dylan and we made the first part of the hike up to the first great look out. There, we all took a break and Dylan got out of the back pack to explore. There's a lot of flat area for him to move around on but there are definitely some steep drops that made me nervous. However, he did a great job cooperating and held our hands near any more dangerous areas.

Mike's Shirt Says "A Bad Day Outside Is Better Than A Good Day At Work"
Yep, that about says it all!

The next peak over that we would be descending.

Lady Slipper Flower

After we had our fun, we loaded back up and started up the steep granite ledges. Man, Dylan is not the heaviest (almost) 2 year old but carrying 25+ pounds on your back up steep ledge is harder than it looks. Dylan had a fun time looking for holes in the rock (they were all filled with water from the recent rain) and was a trooper during that stretch. Mike was a great assistance, helping to pull me up some of the scrambles and give me a hand when I was nervous about the footing.

See that speck? That's me at the bottom of one stretch of granite.
Once you got through one, you round the corner and see another.
They can seem unending at times!

We made it to the top!

And other people were up there and offered to take a family pic.

After all the excitement climbing the first peak, Dylan decided to take a little snooze. He napped for a whopping 25 minutes (usually has a 2 hour nap)....just enough time to descend the first peak and ascend the 2nd.

Pretty Flowers

Picture of the 1st peak from the 2nd.

Napping.

Then we headed back down. About 1/3 to 1/2 way down, my legs started getting pretty tired so I handed the backpack back over to Mike and he took Dylan the rest of the way down. Though tired after our three and a half hour trek, we were in good spirits. We had tackled a challenging mountain, had some fantastic scenery and had a good time.

But, it was definitely time to reward ourselves with some ice cream! We went to the ice cream shop just a couple of miles from our place, enjoyed some scoops and went back to our condo for showers, TV, relaxation and home made pizza. That is what I call a perfect day in NH!