Mountain with a view...



Howard Clifford shows me and Max something interesting



Before I do anything else, I want to point out that I am blogging about something that happened TODAY... not last month, or even last week... today!  This is possible in part because today we hiked 2.5 km to the highest point in Lanark County, and then back down.  This tends to make the little ones sleepy.  (Although the big-little is either giving his dad a hard time, or his dad is napping next to him as I type).  Blueberry Mountain is part of a 1250 Acre land trust that Howard and Jean Clifford have made available and work to ensure its availability in the future.  

View from the top

An amazing place year round I'm sure, today was alight with fall colours.  We hiked with our friends the Watties and were joined for the way up by Howard Clifford who met us, offered us walking sticks and then interpretted the trail stopping to point out interesting rocks, plants, beaver ponds, and geographic and geologic points of interest.  He told us Max was the second youngest to climb the mountain (although both he and Howard's grand-daughter who holds the youngest title didn't do much in the way of climbing).  It was a breathtaking, nerve-wrecking view at the top and Cooper and all the kids did their best to make us nervous.  Paige Wattie brought along a roll of tape and made Finlay and Ella bracelets which they then collected bits of moss, flowers, leaves etc to decorate.  It all made for a beautiful morning. 

intrepid hikers

dragonfly on baby's head