We had another great hike yesterday in the Oakland Hills. This time on a trail called "Huckleberry Nature Trail" on Skyline Blvd. close to Grizzly Peak in the Oakland Hills. The hike started out with a steep descent into a forest of ferns, bay trees, delicate forget-me-not flowers and many, many seasonal streams. It was dark and moist and everything was covered in moss. From the bottom, there was a steady mild rise that took us up about 700 vertical feet where the manzanitas and huckleberry, madrones and pine trees take over the vegetation. There were nice openings that hailed great views. Our favorite was at marker #6 which showed Mt. Diablo for the first time.
Huckleberry Nature Trail - Daddy Day Hike #2
I got to try out my new Asian-style Mei Tai-esk baby sling by a company called Baby Hawk. I have always been a big believer in the comfort and necessity of a Baby Bjoirn. I actually have 3 of them (one for Paul and a spare) and have used them all the time. I thought they were the absolute best. Out of curiosity, however, I tried out this Baby Hawk and got a major surprise: it's more comfortable!! Especially, I think, since my babies are bigger/heavier now compared to their births. The Baby Hawk just seems to hug them closer to my body so their weight isn't pulled forward and heavier on my shoulders. Anyhow, after trying it, I had to get it. And, I also had to get the one with the pocket on the front - definitely worth the extra $10 bucks. On our Daddy Day Hike, I stored the nature trail map, my camera and the ever important car keys in the pocket to gain easy and repetitive access to them.
Another major mile stone realized during the hike: Ava's first tooth is coming through! We were very excited!
To view the photos of the entire hike, click here.
