Labor Day Hikes--a Warnick Tradition

For the past several years, not sure how many, but quite a few now, I have insisted on doing something outside for Labor Day as a family. So typically it has been a hike. This tradition always makes the kids a mixture of grumpy and excited. I actually didn't realize it was a tradition until one of the boys complained that Labor Day was coming up and "do we have to go on a hike?" Of course that just sealed the deal! We were hiking!

I think the first year we hiked was 2009 and we headed into the Owyhee Mountains close to Reynolds Creek. We took all of our food from our 72 hour kits that was getting old for snacks. We checked out a pioneer cemetery  and just hiked up a few hills. Several of the boys say this was their most favorite hike we've done. A few others didn't like it. They say we tend to always hike were it's hot and there is no shade. It was true that it was a bit like that.  

Here's some pictures from that hike! They were all so cute! It doesn't feel like it was that long ago.
But boy have they changed!

Bruce in his cute blue jacket Thayne orange one. Dallin pointing out some wild life. And Luke was never far behind.

Hunter with his cute new front tooth. Looked so big at first!

One of the few pictures with Lance in it. See him in his orange hat in front of Hunter?

Bruce surrounded by dessert mountain beauty.

This is when Luke discovered how much he likes hiking.

Thayne! We just had to take a picture of him with the matching lichens on the rocks.

Luke just could not be left out of the photo session!

Dallin, Bruce, Melissa, Hunter, Thayne, with Luke in the front.

I just laughed when I saw this photo because I think this might be Luke's natural "pose." For fun check out this picture from our family photo shot this August 2014.

Just thought this pose was a little funny, but maybe I taught it to him 5 years ago.

I think the next year we just went for a hike with trail mix along the Nampa Greenbelt. No pictures from that year. But we did find a bunch of snails along the path and we had no idea there were snails like that here.

In 2011 we went to Celebration Park south of Melba, Idaho at hiked to Lake Halverson. Another hot, non shady hike. This is Hunter's favorite. He remembers the three waterfalls we saw. This was the hike were Luke really established that he LOVES hiking and carrying a backpack. We were so impressed with his determined hiking skills!

One of my most favorite pictures of Luke! Love the hat that covers his ears, orange backpack that is Lance's childhood backpack, and the orange water bottle.

Dallin was the biggest complainer about the hike for years. Especially once he started having football practice on Labor Day. So last year in 2013 we made sure to go on Saturday. We headed up to Bogus Basin for our hike and hiked along one of the cross country ski trails. This was an "approved" of hike! It was mostly shady and very pretty.   

We went on a different Labor Day "hike" this year. Lance thought it would be fun to take our bikes and go on the greenbelt in Boise. So he bought a bunch of bike locks, a good bike pump, and a new inner tube for Bruce. Saturday morning we fixed up bikes, took all the back seats out of the van and put ALL the bikes in the back of the van! (which is a bit of extra work, since none of the garage doors open and we had to do it all through the man-door and up and down the front porch--no one complained though). Then we drove over to Boise and parked along the greenbelt by the zoo.

Everyone really liked it! There were so many people biking and walking along the greenbelt. But it was a cooler day and shady (an important part to a successful Labor Day "hike"). We headed east first and rode along the river until we came to the golf course that is just below Table Rock. Then we rode back. Luke was having a hard time not wanting to pedal continually and his seat was really bugging him. Once Lance fixed the angle of his seat it really helped.

We headed back west and then stopped for lunch at The Ram Restaurant. We had a good lunch and then hopped back on our bikes and continued west past all the parks and then we came upon the "white water" park that they built in Boise River and this really great lake, that is just off the river. There were a lot of people canoeing, rafting and wind surfing in the lake. I had no idea it was there--I think we were just on the boarder of Garden City and Boise area. Dad said were we over by ACHD when we went over a bridge just for fun. Then we headed back to toward the van. Crossed over the river and biked through a couple parks and BSU and crossed the bridge that is by the zoo. Luke did SO much better the second half of our ride. (I think he had been hungry previously)

Thayne rocking the shades and helmet. Luke and Melissa in the background.

Hunter loving his new bike! And looking good in the white sunglasses Dallin bestowed upon him.

STUDLY BRUCE! Need we say more?

Lunch Break at the Ram Restaurant (Bruce, Thayne, Melissa, Luke, Hunter)

Now that I've finished writing about the past several years of Labor Day hikes. Maybe this tradition is actually more deeply rooted than I was realizing. For years and years, Lance's family would head "Out West" each Labor Day for a horse back ride and some Dutch oven food. That draw to do things together as a family is so important. It really does help us grow closer together and creates so many memories.