Raising Maine

Poland Springs trail review, post your own

We went hiking in Poland Springs a couple of weeks ago and our review of the trail is out.

Post your own trail review and photos and maybe you'll be featured on the Outdoors home page!

Throwing fall leaves never get old

This morning we went hiking on the trails at Poland Spring's Preservation Park.

It was a glorious fall day and the leaves were colorful and plentiful both on the trees and the ground.

When the girls were little they loved throwing leaves around.

This pic was taken during a hike at Mt. Agamenticus in fall of 2003 when the girls were 6 and 7 years old.

Little has changed since then - except that they prompt me to take photos of them doing it.

The girls are now almost 10 and 11 years old.

Well, I guess there are a couple of other differences...

1. They have bigger hands and therefore can collect more leaves to throw.

2. They must review each shot I take on the camera to make sure it is exactly 'right.'

3. A Webkinz must be involved in at least one photo of flying leaves.

Hiking with little ones

I've received a few emails recently asking for suggestions on hikes I thought were good for younger kids. During the summer L. decided to make a map of the trails she's hiked in Maine for a 4-H project and I'm not sure if some people saw L.'s project at the Cumberland Fair this past week that prompted the emails or if it's just that time of year when people want to be outside with their kids to enjoy the fall.

A screen snap of L.'s map project

View larger map

Either way, I decided to ask the kids about trails they liked when they were little. I combined their suggestions with mine to come up with this list (which is in no particular order).

Fore River Trail in Portland (off Hobart Street)
It's only a mile with plenty of boardwalks to keep little ones laughing about all the noise they can make running on them.

The girls picked tons of dandelions on this trail and found a treasured seagull feather I believe is still hanging around our house somewhere.

Josephine Newman Sanctuary in Georgetown
There are short loop trails that are flat and easy to navigate with plenty of birds around to listen to and spot.

The Arboretum in Augusta
A little longer hike than some of our other recommendations but the flowers and plants along the way keep the trail interesting. The hosta garden is one of L.'s all-time favorite places.

Biddeford Pool
This is a short, easy hike with plenty of 'treasures' to collect on the rocky shore.

These were the days when seaweed was really interesting and snuck in to the backpack to bring home without realizing how bad it would smell later.

Mackworth Island in Falmouth
This trail had some serious storm damage earlier this spring but it's open now. It's a little over a mile looping trail that's flat and great for strollers and most kids we know have loved the fairy house village and pet cemetery there.
8-year-old G.'s experience on this trip.6-year-old L.'s experience.

Wolfe's Neck Woods in Freeport
The trails at the state park are well-marked and lots of kiosks explaining the wildlife and plants in the area make the trails an educational experience. We also found the rangers to be really helpful in answering the kids' questions when we've visited the park.
7-year old G. describes her experience on this trail.

Recognizing some of the words on the kiosks for G. when she was learning to read was a big deal for her -- and I was thrilled she wanted to practice reading.

Wells Reserve at Laudholm Farm in Wells
There are plenty of boardwalks for the kids (mine love the sound of running on boardwalks) to enjoy and beach to explore on the looping trails around the farm.
7-year old G. describes experience on this trail.6-year old L. describes her experience.

Douglas Mountain in Sebago
This 1/4 mile trail is a good "1st mountain climb" experience for little ones. It's a steep climb but it's short and the tower at the top offers an extra incentive for kids to climb to the top.

During our first trip up the mountain, L. insisted on eating her snack with Bunny on the top of the tower.

Jockey Cap in Fryeburg
This is another short hike up a slightly less steep trail than Douglas Mountain but offers great views and an interesting mountain map at the top my kids really liked. But note: parents should hold kids hands at the top because there is a steep drop-off at the top.
7-year old G. describes her experience on trail5-year old L. describes her experience

The kids really liked the small caves on the trail.

Mount Agamenticus in York
These trails are fun because you can start at the top of the mountain to explore the trails, one of which has an old ski lift that my kids think is cool. You can also start at the bottom of the mountain and hike to the top as well if your kids are a little older and want the challenge of hiking a bigger mountain.
7-year-old G.'s experience on this trail.6-year-old L.'s experience.

G., just learning to read had read a sign near this tree suggesting visitors hug it. Since she was so happy to have read the sign, she decided to convince her sister to hug it with her.

Bradbury Mountain State Park in Pownal
It's a short hike to the top of Bradbury Mountain and one my kids enjoyed doing while there was still snow on the ground. There are plenty of looping trails for any length adventure your kids are up to trying.
7-year-old G.'s experience on this trail.6-year-old L.'s experience.

I know this is just the tip of the iceberg for easy hiking trails for little ones in Maine. If you have a suggestion, leave a comment below to share it.

You can also write a short review of a trail your family enjoyed and we'll link it up in our hiking trails database!

Write a hiking review

Big hike and cool hiking trail sharing technology

Yesterday the kids I decided to go back to Grafton Notch State Park to hike the Eyebrow Trail. They were motivated to hike the mountain they saw across Route 26 when we were on top of Table Rock last week.

I had asked my friend Carl how challenging the Eyebrow was and he said it was steeper than Table Rock (and we thought that one was a challenge). But the kids wanted to give it a whirl before our fall schedule kept us from visiting the park again this season.

And yup, it was a really steep climb! There were several areas with ropes to grab on to to pull yourself up the trail.

And some metal railings to hold on to on the open rock face area (this particular spot made the kids really nervous but once they got over the shock of the drop, they did great).

And then it went up - and up - some more.

The elevation gain for the mile it took to get to our lunch spot (pretty much at the top) was about 1,200 feet. That was the most gain the kids had ever done in that mileage and although they were tired at the top, they were really pleased with their accomplishment.

We enjoyed lunch with a beautiful view.

And waved to the Table Rock trail across the way.

I had brought along our GPS unit, not to find geocaches, but to try a new website - everytrail.com my friend Lisa told me about. The site lets you save your 'tracks' (the path you hiked that you can save on the unit) and upload it. You can also add waypoints and photos so you can really share a comprehensive view of the trail. Basically, it's a free mapping program that sounded like a great resource. It could also be a great site for people looking for trails but aren't sure what the area is like if people share their info there.

And as I've admitted many times before, I'm a geek. This kind of site is totally up my alley, especially because it turned out to be really easy to use. I connected my GPS unit to my computer, opened a free interface software program from the site and it did the rest.

Then I added photos to the waypoints I had taken (the software matched the waypoints to my tracks automatically so adding photos was all that I needed to do). And voila, it was done!

What I thought was even cooler was the fact that they had code to paste into my blog (just like YouTube).

The kids have plans to save more tracks to our GPS to make their own maps on the site this fall.

If you give it a try, let us know so we can check it out!

Hiking to Table Rock in Grafton Notch

We took a road trip to Grafton Notch State Park yesterday. We had never been to the park, mostly because it's a 2-hour drive from our house and finding a day completely free of other activities is rare for us.

There were a lot of clouds and it seemed likely it was going to rain so we packed our wet weather gear (i.e., pull-overs) before heading to the park. It turned out we didn't need to because it never did get around to raining while we were there.

After reading the state park brochure (see pdf of it here) with the trail descriptions, we decided to hike to Table Rock.

We chose the white blazed trail (there are two trail options to get to Table Rock) which was a steeper climb and a challenge for the kids but with a few breaks along the way, we managed the 1.5 miles to the top (with approximately a 900' elevation gain I think - correct me if you know for sure!) with a sense of accomplishment.

View of Table Rock from Route 26

We ate lunch on the actual rock but I wouldn't let the kids step past the crack in it because it made me too nervous for them to be any closer to the edge.

It's a straight 900' drop.

The kids decided to make some goofy poses after eating their lunch. Apparently my kids aren't happy unless I let them do funny face pictures after the obligatory smiling one.

And L. wanted me to share with everyone that she hasn't forgotten her first bunny friend even though she brings her Webkinz everywhere these days.

Hiking back down the mountain was just as demanding on the legs as climbing up. L. said they felt "funny and wobbly" by the time we made it back to the car. And actually we met several different couples with dogs that did not make it to Table Rock because the dogs couldn't manage the rocks and steep climb (see video for details).

Personally, I would not suggest this hike for young children either unless they had a good endurance level. It is listed as "easy" in various guides but I believe that rating relates to adults. Yes, kids could do this hike but only if they really like to hike and don't have a tendency to complain about walking uphill.

G. had brought along her "Forest Trees of Maine" guide book so she could do some more work on her deciduous tree 4-H project.

I love the fall but really wasn't prepared for the colorful leaves just yet ...

After our hike, which took several hours, we decided to stop at Mother Walker Falls, Screw Auger Falls (where did they come up with those names!?) and Moose Cave. We dipped our tired feet in the icy cold water of Screw Auger and it felt great.

And I had a chuckle over this site. I love the ruffles even if they aren't the socks I asked her to wear on the hiking trip (she does have socks that absorb sweat and cushion her feet better). But it does go to show that a girl can love the outdoors without sacrificing her feminine side.

Oh and I had to include this pic because the girls liked this bit of trail humor...

See more photos from the park

Hiking (and 360 view) of Table Rock

A 5-second video we took with my cell phone and uploaded it directly to YouTube (here's how to do it if you're interested). We thought we were pretty slick ;-).

The Ledges Trail at Douglas Mountain

Yesterday we took our cousins and Mimi the dog hiking on Douglas Mountain.

We hike the mountain every year and after trying out the Eagle Scout trail from the new trail head off Douglas Mountain Road last spring we have generally opted for the shorter - although steeper - Ledges Trail from the old trail head.

We chatted with several families with children on the mountain yesterday who aren't fans of the Eagle Scout trail. It's much longer than the 1/4 mile to the top from the Ledges Trail. And I was asked a couple of times at the trail head where the short trail to the top was.

I'm not sure if it was Mimi the dog or simply the kids that attracted questions, but several other people along the trails and at the top of the mountain commented on not being prepared for the length of the Eagle Scout trail and about how the mountain used to have a nice short trail and that the new trail 'was too long.'

Having made the mistake once before, I told them I knew just what they were talking about. And although the new Eagle Scout trail is not that long, it's just not what visitors expect when their friends suggest they hike the mountain because it has a short trail and yeah, even little kids can do it.

It seems there's mixed reviews about the new trail so the comments we heard yesterday from families with young children weren't unusual.

So if you're taking your little ones hiking and want to find the Ledges Trail - the one that's a steep climb but only 1/4 mile - park at the new trail head off Douglas Mountain Road. Then walk back out to the road, take a left and follow the paved road up the hill to the old trail head.

There is NO signage to direct you to the Ledges Trail from the new trail head and that's unfortunate. But once you find it, the Ledges Trail is well-marked and easy to follow.


The Ledges Trail

The stone tower is all the motivation the kids need to make the climb up the mountain.

Of course the Webkinz came along for the hike.

We found a nice shady spot to relax and have a snack.

Mimi made lots of new friends on the trail because there were lots and lots of dogs hiking with families yesterday. People with dogs always stop to chat and my kids really enjoyed all the friendly dogs and people.

See more photos from our hike on Douglas Mountain

Diana's Bath in New Hampshire

A rainy afternoon yesterday did not stop us from exploring a new hiking trail. We really wanted to check out Diana's Bath in the White Mountains National Forest that several friends have told us about over the years. They also warned us about the crowds that the area attracts so we thought a rainy day was just the time to explore the trails and waterfall and find some geocaches.

Since we had never been to Diana's Bath before, I wasn't sure how to get there. But thanks to my geocaching friends, locating the trail head was easy. [From North Conway take Route 302 through the downtown area. Take a Left onto River Road and then bear Right onto West Side Road.]

Diana's Bath is in the White Mountains National Forest so there is a $3 fee to park at the trail head.

Under the tree cover the rain wasn't so bad. I thought the real bonus of the day was the fact that neither of the girls complained about the rain. They really wanted to see a waterfall and find some new geocaches.

We found three caches in the area (but there were actually a lot more!) and each was a different shape and size.

G. spotted this one first and loved the hiding spot.

The trail to Diana's Bath was an easy .6 miles and after getting sidetracked with looking for geocache's that by the time we got to the bath area, the rain had stopped for a while which was great.

Not only was it a rainy afternoon, it was pretty chilly so the kids opted to climb around the rocks to explore the area rather than jump in for a swim (which I was grateful for as I thought the current was too strong for them that day anyway).

Then the girls and Fino found some interesting puddle shapes and I was directed to take pictures of them.

A heart with an arrow going through it.

A chocolate bunny.

Then there was a dispute in the ranks because L. thought that if you turned sideways the bunny turned into a skeleton mouth. Yeah, I could see it.

A ghost.

Then as we made our way back to the trail head we spotted a bunch of pink lady slippers and that was a nice bonus.

The pink lady slipper we later discovered, is New Hampshire's state wildflower.

During the warm summer months I'm told Diana's Bath is crazy busy. But if you don't mind that (or you go on a rainy day like we did), it's a beautiful place to explore with the kids. And the geocaches are aplenty and easy to find for novice players.

The only flaw with our afternoon plans was that although we were prepared for the rain, we didn't pack a change of clothes for shopping. We were quite soggy at the outlet stores afterwards.

Video of Diana's Bath

National Trails Day is today

It doesn't matter where you live (including you out-of-staters!), you can celebration National Trails Day too because it's a great day to get out and hike!

Find a NTD event near you

Find a trail to hike in Maine (look for the pink bunny for kid-friendly hikes)

I'm stuck at the office for the better portion of today but hope to go on a short hike with the kids when I get home. We've got a geocache on a trail near Watchic Lake that L. has been suggesting we visit and do some maintenance on (with the ulterior motive that she get a chance to swim as well). I think today is the day she'll get her wish.

Where is your favorite place to hike?

Mackworth Island update

The girls were really upset a couple of weeks ago when they heard that the trails at Mackworth Island were "closed indefinitely" because of the Patriot's Day Nor'Easter.

So I emailed Portland Trails to see if they had any updates about the island's trail repairs.

Isabel Aley, Development and Outreach Associate for Portland Trails, emailed me back with some good news; the trail around the island is temporarily open!

An update about the trail was actually posted on the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf website (which I never thought to look at but now know to check in the future).

The walking path here on Mackworth Island has been re-opened temporarily. The path is safe to walk but there are two areas of concern that will be addressed shortly by the Department of Conservation (DOC). Dirt from the stone pier was washed away and until the DOC is able to bring in some new fill the pier will be blocked off from access. Away from the path are trees that continue to litter the woods and plans are underway to contract with a professional forester to haul away and clean up the woods. When this occurs the walking path will be closed for approximately 1-2 weeks.

Hopefully fairy house construction will resume soon as well.

If you visit the trail, take some pictures and share them on My.MaineToday.com.
Post your photosShare your stories about the island

Right between the eyes and a call for ideas

Yesterday afternoon I was driving our minivan with the windows rolled down and chatting with the kids about what a beautiful day it was. Then all of the sudden I was hit with something large and furry (yeah, I felt it) right between the eyes. Needless to say, it sacred the beejeezus out of me -- and when that happens, I scream. I simply can't help my natural reaction. I know, I'm such a female.

The kids started screaming after my initial distress because they saw what had hit me - a very large round flying insect. It was stunned for a minute on the floor of the van but then went airborn again trying to get back outside.

The girls were convinced it was some sort of bee out to get them and both started crying in ernest (being swarmed last fall is something neither of my girls have gotten over).

Meanwhile I tried to pull over to the side of the road so I could focus on getting the bug -- whatever it was -- out of the van while telling the girls to calm down. The thing flew out before I completely stopped and the girls immediately started yelling at me to shut all the windows.

It took about 5 minutes for them to get a grip on themselves and then L. asked in a teary voice, "Why did God make bees mommy?"

I explained about the whole flower and plant pollination thing but she wasn't convinced bees should really exist. Then she had an idea that we should move to a place that always has snow to avoid the issue.

So I have a query for all of you. How do I help my kids get over their immediate panic at flying insects? I've taken the reflective listening approach since it happened but with the onset of spring and start of bug season, I'm open to ideas ...

Beautiful weekend for a hike

The sun is making a reappearnce this weekend so it's time to get out for some exercise and enjoy the warming temperatures!

We spent an early spring afternoon hiking at the Josephine Newman Sanctuary on Georgetown Island a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed the trails there.
See story
Slideshow from Sanctuary
Birding at the Sanctuary | Views from the trail

Find a trail near you
Look for the bunny icon for family-friendly hikes

Exploring trails, ice sliding and 'BaaRamEwe'

The kids and I are working with a group of 4-Hers volunteering to do some trail work at Wolfe's Neck Farm this spring. We attended a meeting yesterday at the farm to walk the existing trail system to get a sense of the work needed to be done and what the kids could do.

Of course the meeting was planned a while back and we didn't anticipate at that time that yesterday would be one of the coldest days of the year.

But we were prepared wearing all our warmest cold weather gear to hike the trails and the temps didn't bother the kids a bit.

Laying down on the icy snow wouldn't have occured to me, even wearing my snowpants and warmest mittens. But hey, they're kids and they simply couldn't resist goofing around in the wooden structure.

They also did a lot of sliding - intentionally - down the hills when the adults stopped for a minute to talk about a particular area of the trail.

Who needs a sled when the snow is frozen solid?

This got the top score for sliding hills yesterday.

Sliding fun on the icy snow

And being 4-Hers, they couldn't resist spending some time in the barn. They used a pole to break up the ice in the goat's water trough. And after discovering that the cows had heaters to keep their water from freezing it didn't take G. long to wonder if we could get a heater for our coop. There's no question she has a tough job in the winter with our chickens and ducks' water.

The kids also enjoyed feeding the cows and sheep hay.

"Cow king of the hill!"

And the kids spent some time communicating with the sheep the Babe way. They did a pretty good impression of "BaaRamEwe."

Weird cow eyes, BaaRamEwe and flying hay

There's a variety of programs for kids of all ages at the farm throughout the year if you've got an animal-lover in your family.
Education programs at Wolfe's Neck Farm

Fun on the multi-use trail

We spend a lot of time on the Mountain Division Trail in the winter. It's near our house and the snowmobiles pack the snow down to make it decent cross country skiing terrain. Our family budget doesn't always allow for skiing on the groomed trails at Smiling Hill or Pineland (a family of 4 costs around $36 for the day trail passes at each place). Of course you get what you pay for and groomed trails make skiing easier and faster. But the multi-use Mountain Division trails are a nice option for us as long as we accept its quirks and take precautions to deal with the snowmobile traffic.

These trail signs appear at regular intervals along the Mountain Division Trail but we occasionally see an ATV as we did this weekend.

Because the trail is popular with snowmobiles, we are always listening for the sounds of one approaching and try to ski to one side of the trail to allow for moving out of the way quickly. I remind the kids whenever they start moving into the middle of the trail to get back to the side because snowmobilers sometimes go too fast and don't always see us at first (but in our experience, that is not often -- the motorized people are usually courteous and slow down and wave as soon as they spot us).

On the Standish end, there are many smaller trails off the main one that wind around Otter Pond. Those smaller trails are not typically used by snowmobiles so it's nice to have some time away from them. Of course we had to forge our own path but the kids still enjoy the follow-the-leader games.

About an hour into our trek on Saturday Fino and G. realized that they had each others poles. G. has grown so fast that we've had a hard time keeping up with equipment she feels comfortable with (she prefers longer poles and they are nearly the same size as her dad's).

And part of sharing the trail means using our common sense. For instance, there is a portion of the trail with a fence between the tracks and trail. As we headed towards that part, we realized that if a snowmobile was coming in the other direction we had no place to get out of the way except to jump down a large embankment. We opted to ski onto a smaller trail through the trees to avoid that area.

The benches placed at various intervals along the trail are great for water breaks so we can sit down without having to take off our skis.

And the small hills on the trail are enjoyable to ski down but not so big that the return trip up is fairly easy.

The kids had so much fun on Saturday during our trail ride (we did about 2.5 miles round trip) that we took our 4-H Ski Club onto the trail instead of playing our usual games on the field. We did less than half the distance we did the day before but with all the talking and laughing the group did, they said it felt like they skied a couple of miles.

Fun fall hike

We hiked to the summit of Sawyer Mountain over the weekend and I am happy to say, there weren't any bees roaming about on the trail. It was about 1.5 miles to the summit with a steady climb. I'd rate the hike 'Intermediate' for kids who have some endurance for the elevation gain (about 500 feet).

G. is "practicing" her ballet leaps anywhere with open space including the grocery stores and parking lots these days.

I should have known when everyone was grabbing for tissues and taking naps at the summit that we were in for a week of bad colds (I'm sniffling and listening to L.'s non-stop coughing as I write...)

The foliage is really beautiful around the summit right now.

We decided to try some crayon leaf-rubbing on the trail after reading about it in a magazine recently. Crayon-rubbing wasn't as easy as it looked in the magazine but after a few tries, the kids made a fun work of art.

L., while collecting leaves in her hat, also got a little carried away with crayon-rubbing. She decided to make impressions of the writing on some gravestones in the 19th century cemetery we passed on the trail because she spotted a misspelling.

She was highly amused with this one even though I told her it was likely a space issue rather than an actual error.

Fall hiking - wear orange

We heard a lot of gunshots when we were hiking the other day and the
kids don't like that much, even while wearing their bright orange hats.

Since I am not familiar with the world of hunting, I went looking on
the IFW website to see when hunting season was and learned some interesting stuff.

The first thing was that there is no CLOSED season for hunting coyote, woodchuck, porcupine and red squirrel. So basically there could be a hunter with a gun in the woods, legally, at any time of year.

I narrowed down my search dates to when hunters will be out in the woods
with guns to hunt deer and grouse/pheasant because all are in abundance in the areas where we like to hike. And since 67,725 deer hunting
permits were issued this year, that's the season we think we'll hear the most shots fired while in the woods.

October 2 - December 31 - Grouse, pheasant and bobwhite quail
October 30 - November 25 - Deer with firearms
November 27 - December 9 - Deer with muzzleloaders

So basically from now until the end of December everyone should be
especially careful while hiking and wear their orange gear.

Being prepared on the trail

Our first aid/emergency kit came in more than a little handy during our last hike. Some people have asked us what we carry in our kit so I just did an inventory.

Some of the items are a little unusual thanks to my husband's worst-case-scenario thinking acquired from his military days. It's a good thing he typically carries this emergency kit because I'd get rid of a few things simply based on weight. But hey, I can't argue that our kit has been a life saver previously.

Gum, tictacs and lollipops. It gives kids something to focus on rather than the injury. We've given away some of these feel-good items on the trail too. Like the time a little girl lost her tooth and was upset about the blood, another time a little one fell and badly scraped his legs, and one time we weren't sure what happened but we could hear the crying (and screaming) about 1/2 mile away and thought we'd stop to help... These situations always confirming for us that ANYTHING can happen on the trail with kids.
acetaminophen for adults AND kids
ibuprofen for kids as well (a necessity since this hike)
band-aids of several sizes
triple antibiotic cream
alcohol swabs
bottle of iodine
anti-itch cream for bug bites
athlete's foot cream
antacid
meat tenderizer - mix into a paste for bee stings. It gets a big endorsement from G. that it really works
2 clothespins - why, I'm not sure but Fino insists
plastic spoon
small scissors, a needle, nail clippers and tweezers
waterproof tape
ace bandage
feminine hygiene pads - my husband says they're good for a serious accident because of their absorbency (I refrained for getting those in the picture of our kit however)
mole skin
waterproof matches
a couple of hooded ponchos
baby wipes - great for a quick washdown if you run into poison ivy
baby powder - it's magical in getting sand off skin. When you have a kid with sensory issues, it's a parent's best friend.
deet-free insect repellent
sunblock lotion

We go through our emergency kit periodically to replenish and check on expiration dates. On our hike in Topsham I realized that the kid's bottle of acetaminophen had just expired but the ibuprofen was OK. It's hard to keep up on these things until you really do have an emergency but we now have a renewed priority to do it.

You just never know when some crazy thing is going to happen. Or, when you have a situation and you realize, "Yeah, that clothespin was just what we needed." I'm still waiting on that one but Fino will be feeling quite smug when it happens I'm sure.

What do you carry in your emergency/first aid kit when hiking with kids?

A hike that went frighteningly wrong

A hike on some nice and easy trails in Topsham turned into more than we bargained for when Fino and G. walked over a hornet's nest. Yeah, we got swarmed and stung and it was without a doubt the single, most scariest moment we have ever had while hiking.

Our hike around the Cathance River Nature Preserve started with the discovery of a whole bunch of blackberry bushes. We stopped multiple times to pick and eat several large handfuls.

L., as usual, was collecting mica and "pretty" rocks for her collection. She even found some really nice quartz pieces as well.

We also found a geocache before deciding to make our way over to the river trails.

The kids explored the rocks by the river for a while before we hiked up a small hill. We didn't have a problem going up the hill's path but when we walked down the same path, Fino and G. ran into trouble.

L. and I were about 30 feet away from G. when she started screaming. Then Fino yelled at her to run and they both raced down the trail.

As Fino ran with G., he yelled back to me to find another way down the hill. I found another path and picked up L. who was hysterically crying because she was panicked and worried about her sister.

There really wasn't any way to totally escape the swarm of yellow jackets but L. and I avoided a lot more than G. and Fino did. Luckily L. had a coat on with a hood so I covered her up and ran down the trail with her in my arms and she managed to make it through without a sting.

I met up with Fino and G. about 1/4 mile down the trail and could tell they had been stung multiple times. There were still yellow jackets around but we needed G. to sit down because her legs started to really swell-up. Fino put her near the water so I could get some cool water on her while he dug out the first aid kit.

Several years ago a pharmacist had told me the most effective way to reduce the swelling and ease the pain of a bee sting is a paste of meat tenderizer and water. We've carried meat tenderizer in our emergency kit ever since and as weird as it sounds, it really does work.

One of G.'s legs with multiple stings covered by the paste we made. Looked totally weird but G. agreed that it didn't hurt as much with the paste on.

Because I was carrying L. in my arms and wearing a short sleeve shirt, I ended up with several yellow jackets in my shirt via the arm holes. Let me just tell you that getting stung under your arm and multiple times on your breast is not a pleasant experience. And I couldn't yell or complain about it because I really needed to calm the girls down. They were in a real state of hysterics and couldn't stop swinging their arms in the air.

I ended up providing some comic relief when I took my shirt off to shake out the remaining yellow jackets. As Fino was pulling out the stingers I tried to make it a joke that he was "being naughty" by stealing my shirt. Then he took off his shirt to shake out (both of us had still had yellow jackets in our shirts at that point) and I started whistling and oogling him. That got some giggles mixed with tears from the girls and they finally stopped jumping and swiping at the air.

We rubbed the meat tenderizer paste over everyone's stings. One was actually on Fino's ear and we made a joke that it was definitely a weird place to get stung. But then the kids started talking about boobs and they were laughing again after suggesting they get a picture of my stings (which btw, did not happen).

Fino took a few minutes to go back down the trail and lay some logs on the path to prevent others from disturbing the nest. He also took a couple of photos. I told him he was crazy to get close enough for a photo but thought it couldn't have been any worse than it already was. At least, he said, he didn't have to worry about them swarming all over G. again.

The nest is a sort of white color between the roots in the middle of the photo.

Since most of the nest was under the dirt, it is not easily seen unless you were looking for it.

When everyone was a little calmer we decided to head back to the car. G. was having a hard time walking but a lollipop from the emergency kit (another staple we always carry) made the pain not so bad. Along the way we spotted a big frog and stopped for a minute to watch him. Then we found more blackberries and ate our way down that part of the trail.

In retrospect I think this was just an unlucky break for us. We were walking on a clearly established path where many others had hiked on before us. And in all the years we have been hiking, with and without kids, we have never had a situation like this happen before.

The kids agreed with Fino and I on the drive home that the nature preserve was "really fun" until the yellow jacket attack and that we should visit another time.

"Yeah mom, during the winter when all the bees are gone," G. said from the back seat.

Fino and I couldn't agree more.

Fairy leaping, fried Oreos and hopes for the Dogs

We have some friends visiting from out of town and since they read my blog, they had a few requests, including a trip to Mackworth Island to build fairy houses. So yesterday we visited the island and thoroughly enjoyed the picture perfect hiking weather.

The comment of the day was, "Wow, this fairy village is much bigger than I realized." Yeah, my camera has never really caught the size or many interesting details of the village. And in case you were wondering if the kids enjoyed themselves, I think this picture says it all.

Today we headed to the Topsham Fair since it was one-ticket ride day. The kids also wanted to see their projects in the exhibit hall. They were pleased with their ribbon placements but much more eager to go on the rides and get some fried dough and french fries. And the adults in our group were just as eager to eat our way through the fair.

Our usual treats were tasty but we felt the need to expand our horizons and try our first deep fried Twinkee and Oreos. You know, we don't like enough greasy, heart-clogging food already.

The Oreos were the hands-down favorite. The Twinkees' cream melted into the cake and the chocolate and whipped cream was just over the top for us.

The fried Twinkees were served with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. They really know how to add caloric intake with these.

We decided to play our Seen Team role and took lots of photos around the fairgrounds.

Tomorrow we're headed to the Sea Dogs game and we're really hoping they break
their losing streak.

Outdoors with Children v.34

A Bunny.

A Snowman.

An Elvis sighting.

Trails.

Mud.

Flowers.

A kid-approved bathroom.

All at the Arboretum in Augusta.

Read about our visit, see photo galleries and video clips

Purple pine cones, a bunny and a snowman

We went to the Arboretum in Augusta the other day and even though thunderstorms were threatening, we managed to explore quite a few of the trails (and have a quick picnic) before the storm.

The girls took over the camera for most of the hike and continue to surprise and amuse me every time I download the pictures.

So here are the photo highlights of the Arboretum from their perspective.

G. caught me once again in the act of of trying to wrangle L's hair into a ponytail before we hit the trail.

Lupine is L.'s favorite wildflower.

The kids loved the hosta garden. They spent a long time reading all the names of the plants and laughing about some of them. "Elvis Lives" is the real name of that plant. I never knew hosta gardeners had such a sense of humor.

OK, what kind of tree is this? I thought it was a spruce variety but then started over-thinking it after looking at the Balsam Fir. I don't think I've ever seen purple pine cones. Post a comment if you know what it is.

I took this photo and asked L. if she could have tried to be more careful in the marsh. "Well look at you mommy!"

Ooops.

"There's a snowman and a bunny!" And I have to agree with her yet again, that I see that too.

Treasure hunting and geology

The kids enjoyed our latest treasure hunt - and learned a bit of geology along the way. Read my monthly column to learn more about gem hunting in Maine.

I-Spy on Mackworth

We went hiking on Mackworth Island again yesterday. Like my co-worker, I too feel the need to drop everything and get outside when the sun makes one of its rare appearances.

It was a great day for a hike and L. found all kinds of things to show me on the trail. It was one of those, "Look mommy - look - look," kind of days.

A dead crab, one of many she found along the shore

A slug, also one of many she found in the fairy village

"Pretty flowers"

More pretty flowers

After I thought about it, the best sight of the day was my very special child's socks.

I-Spy... pumpkins!

Fun on Mackworth

Yesterday it was such a nice day that we decided we had to go hiking. We chose Mackworth Island because it had a short trail and we didn't have a lot of daylight left.

While on the trail, we discovered a couple of new things that we hadn't noticed during our hikes there last summer.

The kids enjoyed the crushed stone maze.

The swinging bench was fun too.

G. likes to stop at the pet cemetery so she can read the stone markers there. She's our animal-lover so we took a few minutes to make the stop.

Then we arrived at the fairy village and walked around to admire all the houses before we set out to make our own. And I warned L. that we would not be planning any elaborate houses since she's notorious for getting carried away with her construction plans.

We all really liked this one.

After about 20 minutes in the village, I told the girls it was time to head home. And true to form, L. balked. She said she wasn't "quite done" with her second fairy house. But since we didn't have any time to spare, I told her we'd come back again soon.

We're headed to NYC for the holiday weekend and I'm sure it will be an interesting urban adventure for us. I'll be back online next week.