The trails were explored today were absolutely fantastic. As we hiked, I repeatedly said to myself, "so lucky to have found a little piece of paradise". The trails were well groomed, and mossy (my favorite), and the blackflies stayed at bay for the most part. We've enjoyed the trails in this area before, but today we were exploring a new area. We didn't have a map with us but Al had his blackberry with GPS. We also met a lady and her dog who let us know that we could follow the trail around the lake but it would likely take two hours at a good pace. The kids were loving the trail so we kept skipping along. Soon, we were all in t-shirts and I kept forcing the water on everyone. It's so important to stay hydrated, especially for the kids. We were tempted to stop for lunch a few times, but Al suggested we keep going until we found a nicer spot with a cool breeze and room to move about. There were a few very wet spots and logs were down to act as bridges...some dedicated trail maintenance has been going on here! We found the perfect lunch spot at the edge of Ash lake, and I was so thankful for Al's persistence. At this point, I started to doubt whether the trail was going to go around the lake and/or if we had missed a side trail. Now it was Zachary who insisted we keep following the trail, but before long, he was feeling sluggish - even the dried fruit leather didn't pep him up much. Liam and I ran ahead a bit, and I left Al to give him some inspiration. Then I remembered the best inspiration was right in my backpack, and I pulled out some ultra amazing chocolate chip cookie from Two If By Sea Cafe to help everyone along. The trail continued to be lots of fun but a little hillier, and before long, we were giving Zach another break. It was a long trek and he really seemed to need a break -after all his legs are the littlest. The boys were snacking on cheese and crackers when we spotted the police officer and another hiker coming our way. Yes, I did just write police officer!! in the back country. He made some jokes about them looking for two young boys causing some trouble in the woods and not sharing their crackers. The boys got so shy. He asked which way we were headed. We pointed towards the way out of the woods, and he said there would be no danger that way. When my eyes got wide as saucers, the hiker assured us that there would be no danger in any direction. We left it at that as I didn't want to worry the kids. I wasn't really worried as the officer and hiker seemed to be in good enough spirits, but I was curious! Liam wanted to catch up the police officer but we waited for Al and Zach at all junctions in the trail. We followed the police tape out to our vehicle, where the police and hiker were, and another police officer. The police were very friendly with the boys, letting them sit in the car. Liam got to put the lights on but he was too scared to put the sirens on. Al pressed the horn button. We met the hiker. Also, we found out that the lady we met on the trail was his wife. After getting the kids in the van, I asked the officers about what was going on in the woods. They did let me know they had found remains that had likely been there for a long time. No idea yet what the whole story is, and if we will ever know. I just hope it doesn't mar this beautiful protected wilderness area in any way, and hope there will be some closure and peace for someone's family.
