Tifft Nature Preserve: Spring 2014

Continuing our quest to explore and photograph Tifft Nature Preserve in every season, we went back for our spring hike a couple of weeks ago.  Given that it was already June, we were a little bit worried that we had missed the boat on the spring hike – but that worry turned out unfounded.  Between the gallons of mud and the pollen snowing down, it was definitely spring.

Last time we visited Tifft, Peanut was still in the Baby Bjorn.  What a difference a couple of months makes!

Peanut was considerably more interested in this pond now that it was no longer frozen over.  (And yes, ponds are still her favorite ecosystem.)

We started on the main path with the goal of finding our way back to the boardwalk, but that plan went awry somewhere along the line as the paths became more and more overgrown…

And finally turned into full-on bog.

It’s a bit difficult to see in the picture, but there was absolutely nothing solid about this ground.  I picked my way over the logs (years of ballet lessons finally paying off right there) and Peanut cackled at the hilarity of seeing Mommy wobble her way through a muddy bog.  After getting ourselves thoroughly dirty, we realized we’d made a wrong turn somewhere, the path was at a dead end, and the boardwalk was nowhere to be seen.  So we picked our way back through the mud, and Peanut acted like she was watching a live Comedy Central show.

Found it, finally!  These are some relieved faces:

Well, Mommy and Daddy are relieved.  Peanut is disappointed that we’re not all still playing in the mud.

The boardwalk is my favorite part of Tifft.  Not only are there always plenty of animals to spot – this time we saw geese, turtles, and (my favorite!) great blue herons – but it reminds me of a few hikes near our home in Virginia that involved boardwalks through the wetlands.

By the way, if anyone is wondering how Peanut feels about the Deuter child carrier, she spent most of the walk making this face:

And these faces, too:

So I think it’s safe to say she’s a big fan.  She didn’t spend much time checking out the scenery, though.  Throughout most of the hike, she really only had eyes for me.

Hi Mom.  Whatcha doing?

Anyone else enjoying spring hikes lately?