A Saturday Hike

We didn't have any plans today so we decided to do a hike in Eisenhower Park. It's a park I've been wanting to explore and the weather was perfect for exploring (cloudy and 70). The park is so nice because it has a play structure, a big rock wall, and wonderful trails that lead to a tower with a nice view of San Antonio.
The kids thought the hike was so much fun. Although, toward the end we were really losing Eli. It was my fault since I picked a rather long hike (around 2.25 miles) for 3 year old legs. Plus, Eli didn't get a nap so he was already tired to begin with. But he was still a trooper and made it almost the entire hike. During the hike there were 2 times he started to get really tired. The first time he said, "Mommy, can you hold me please? I can't do this anymore." And then when we were going back from the tower, Elina told Eli to run with her and he held my hand and sadly replied, "Jie Jie, I can't run anymore." For the last 500 feet of the hike, Eli just hugged me by the waist and wouldn't let go or budge until I picked him up. Smart strategy, right? Even though he was so exhausted, he wasn't too tired to climb the rock wall when we got back to the trailhead. Hmmmmm.The hike itself was wonderful. We did the first 1/2 on natural terrain (to get the kids excited) and the second 1/2 on asphalt (to get the kids back to the trailhead quicker). We knew that once they got to the tower, they would just want to get right back (especially since the playground was waiting at the trailhead).
The kids loved searching for cactus, flowers, and poop. They loved climbing up and down the rocks on the trail. We really had a great time. And little Evie didn't make a peep while she enjoyed her view in our Kelty on B's back.
What a great way to spend a Saturday! We will definitely be exploring more parks before the weather starts to get unbearable!