Marymere Falls - Lake Crescent

So we got up, had breakfast, packed up our lunch and extra clothes and then headed west to connect up with the 1.5 mile hike to see the beautiful and majestic Marymere Falls. I was very excited to get out with my husband and girls and spend a day in the outdoors.

We pulled up at the Ranger Station around lunch time so decided to have a picnic before heading up the trail. Ellie was very excited to get going and could barely stay seated to eat her lunch. She kept telling Robb and I that she wanted to go see the water pool. Too cute.

After finishing our lunch and packing up our water to take with us, grabbing our camera and making sure the girls had their hats, we headed off to the trailhead. Ellie insisted on carrying the bag with the three bottles of water but after about 100 feet asked if someone else could carry it. She said she would carry it more later. :)

The girls were unsure about the underpass, saying that it seemed a little scary, but after getting through that they proceeded up the path and through the woods. Olyvia was so enamored by the beauty of everything that she kept wanting to stop and look at every little thing; A tree here, a bush there, the mountain through the trees, the sun beaming through the branches, and constantly looking for wild animals. She was sure that she was going to see a racoon, moose, bear or deer and was quite disapointed when we finished the walk and she hadn't seen anything except a shrew.

As we started up the steeper stair portion of the trail Ellie asked to be carried but we quite firmly told her she could do it and that we weren't going to carry here. There was NO WAY that I was setting that precedent. But she didn't ask again all the way up the switchback stair portion of the trail. Once we reached the top and could see the falls, Olyvia's mouth dropped open in awe and Ellie looked and asked "Is that the water pool mommy?". Yes my dear, that is the water pool.

We look a ton of pictures and then Olyvia asked if we could keep going up to the second platform for more pictures so we did. We then proceeded all the way down the mountain. The girls made it all the way down the steep portion only stopping a couple times when they thought there was something so beautiful that I needed to take a picture of it, and then got to the flattend portion of the trail. Ellie asked a couple more times to be carried, but we stayed firm and she finished the entire trail without being carried. She did awesome. They both did.

As we were walking back Olyvia insisted on taking me in the ranger station where she could show me the stuffed bat that was in there. Then on our way to the car she told me how the hike was just so beautiful and it was so wonderful to see all the beautiful things. It is so important to teach our children how to respect the earth, cherish it, revel in the beauty of it and share it with those you love. As we were coming down the trail Olyvia told me "God made us a wonderful earth to enjoy." I must agree.