When we were shopping for our house one of our requirements was to have a little property. When I was a kid I spent hours playing and exploring the woods and wanted my kids to have the same opportunity. I sometimes get wrapped up in my DIY projects and forget that though so this fall I made sure to take the boys on a few hikes.

They were thrilled of course and we made a big deal of it. Packing backpacks with snacks, bringing a flashlight and camera, and even putting together a scavenger hunt list of things to look for and photograph while we were roaming around. I made sure to point out different things to the boys, like the difference between a broken branch and cut branch, different animal footprints and droppings. I also would occasionally make them stop listen and then ask ‘which way is home’. I wanted to make the point that it was easy to get turned around and lost, but there are clues to find our way home.

During our first hike I was showing them a deer trail when we discovered a recent coyote kill. It was a small deer, probably a spring fawn that had lost its spots. The boys were more curious than grossed out so we did a little detective work. Never touched it of course and didn’t stay long so they didn’t get upset, but I felt it was important to understand what the wild is all about. Not too long after that encounter we spotted a grouse in the woods moving around.

We had a blast and discovered a lot of small critters and plants as well as animal ‘clues’. My favorite discovery was a very noisy hibernating toad. Play this video clip to hear him.

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