My Niece & Nephews' First Hike
Unemployed or Funemployed as Adventure Auntie?
I wasn’t supposed to be in Massachusetts right now. I had a contract that would employ me in CO until the end of October, but due to the fact that the agreement between the government agency and the nonprofit that employs me was not approved for the 2026 fiscal year (which started October 1) I found myself unemployed.
I have a winter position in Flagstaff in the works, but that won’t start until November so I have a month to play with. Sean had a death in the family, and we were already planning to be in MA for a few days to spend time with his family. I decided that being unemployed was an opportunity I had to take hold of to have time with family, both Sean’s family and mine.
Staying with Sean’s Meme has been an absolute treat. I really love sitting with her at night and watching whatever crazy story they have on Lifetime while I knit and she crochets. Throughout the days she entertains me with stories of her life, of her siblings, of her and Pepe’s travels, and any other thing she thinks of. I am impressed daily by her level of detail within her memories and the way in which she can recall things from her childhood. One of her granddaughters told her she should write a book, and I would love to see that happen.
When I’m not staying at Meme’s, I am in the Berkshires with my sister and her three kids: Birdie, Bug, and Bunny. I have really enjoyed being able to spend quality time with them and form a genuine bond with them at their young ages. I want to be a positive presence in their life and I am already sad about leaving to go back to AZ in a few weeks and having to tell them that I can’t sleep over every week anymore.
We have been doing something every day when I am there. We took a walk to the library and got the boys their first library cards and returned the next day for story time. We drove up Greylock twice now to watch the sunset. The first time we went was their first time at the top and it was really cute to watch them play up there while the sun set and then be filled with wonder as the night turned dark and they could see the lights of the town and the stars above. We returned the following week because Bug asked to go up the mountain. This request made me really happy. I also took them to Pecks Falls at the base of Greylock. My sister sat with the baby as I put my feet in the water and held the hands of my nephews as they walked barefooted over the rock dam that formed the little swimming hole.
Having these experiences has been the highlight of my time visiting my hometown. I am lucky to have the relationship I do with my sister, Molly and am so grateful that she invites me over to stay for multiple days at a time. I hope I am forming core memories for her children while inspiring curiosity and instilling wonder.
While I am a West Coast girlie these days, there is no place like the Northeast to be in autumn. The fall colors are amazing with shades of red, orange, and yellow. This weekend the leaves were approaching their peak. I wanted to get out for a hike. I wondered if Molly would be interested in joining or if she thought that would be too much for her and the kids. But she loved the idea.
We woke up on Sunday morning and the boys came to play in my room. Days ago I tried to have them do morning yoga with me, but they weren’t interested. Every day since, they ask to do “yoga” which consists of rolling out my mat and making up poses. Bug’s favorite pose is “Dino Robot”. He really likes dinosaurs. I told them we couldn’t play yoga for very long, because we had to get ready for our hike.
I taught them that going on a hike meant they needed to pack and carry their own stuff: a backpack, water, snacks, a hat, their binoculars, and a walking stick. They were so excited about going on a hike that getting ready for it was even fun. I had them help me get my pack together, having them tell me what I still needed, and then had them prepare their packs while I got changed into my hiking clothes. Once we were all ready (nearly an hour later because apparently getting three kids ready to do anything takes forever) we got out packs loaded up in the trunk of the car and drove to the trailhead.
The drive to Savoy State Forest was a beautiful one with leaves falling in the wind in a beautiful confetti of red, orange, and yellow. When we arrived at the trailhead Molly and I discussed that we wouldn’t have time to do the whole hike we were planning on, so we decided to just take them half a mile down to Tannery Falls.
We wrapped Bunny onto my chest, put on our packs, and were on our way down the trail. The boys were so excited that they kept gaining quite a lead on us and we had to keep asking them to wait until we caught up. They really love stepping on the fallen leaves and called it “making leaf music”. Hearing them say “Wow! Cool!” was music to my ear whenever I pointed out something to them.
Birdie & Bug leading the way
I showed them lichen and moss and different species of forbs. They loved when I told them to touch and feel whatever it was I was teaching them about and kept reaching to touch moss. They called lichen moss and moss lichen, but who can blame them? Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference as they often look very similar.
Half a mile later we got to the waterfall and instantly Bug wanted to take his shoes off and put his feet in the water. I rolled up his pant legs and was so excited when I saw a frog in the water. I pointed it out to them and they sat and watched him for a few minutes while eating a snack. But sitting wasn’t what they wanted to do so they finished their snacks quickly and then were off in the water to play. The cold water didn’t bother Bug much as he stepped right in. He bends down to pick up leaves to throw in the water, and then a rock, and then more leaves.
Birdie joined us a minute later, using his legs and arms to climb up large rocks in the water. I was impressed but also instantly worried that he would fall. I never thought I would be a helicopter parent, but helicopter auntie took full hold. I was very aware of his safety and that I was the one in charge of it in this moment. I didn’t want him to fall and get seriously hurt, and I also didn’t want his experience of the outdoors on his first hike to be remembered by an injury. I tried to find a balance between letting him climb and trusting his abilities with being there to give him support and catch him if he fell. He’s a quick climber and within 30 seconds he was standing on top of a rock 3 feet above me. I told him he had to wait there for me, and then Bug and I followed him up the rock. I seemed to have more difficulty than they did, as my sandals slipped a bit and I wondered if being barefooted gave them an advantage or if it was simply their childness that made them fearless and unaware of the consequences of falling.
Once Bug and I reached Birdie at the top of the rock, we played in the little pool of water that formed behind the rock. Bug bent down to grab another rock out of the water as he had been doing before, but bent down too far, getting his pants and shirt wet. He started to whine, not understanding that he knelt down too deep and was getting himself in the water as much as he did. I tried to explain to him that he got wet because he went into the water but it didn’t seem to fully click. I giggled at this.
I checked the time and saw that I was going to be late for my friend picking me up to give me a ride back to Meme’s house. I told the boys we needed to head back down to Mom. While on our way, Birdie slipped and fell, hitting his knee on a rock. “Ow! I got hurt!” He sat looking at and rubbing his knee. But he didn’t cry and stood back up after a minute. I asked him if he was okay and he said yes. “Sometimes we fall and get hurt when we play outside. But are you still having fun?” I asked him. “Yeah,” Birdie answered. I was really proud of him. He acknowledged the pain he felt but also recognized that getting hurt happens and it doesn’t have to put an end to the fun he’s having.
We got back down to Molly and I asked the boys to put their shoes back on and get their packs together. Birdie listened and started washing off his feet to put his shoes back on. But Bug did not want to leave. He was having so much fun playing in the water, that he kept putting his feet and shoes in the water to clean them off, but really they were clean and he was trying to delay our departure. After a few minutes, we were packed up and ready to head back to the car. We passed a few people enjoying the waterfall and making comments about how great it was that we were taking the kids out on the hike. Molly took a picture of me with the three kiddos and then it was time to cross the creek to get to the other side of the trail.
Creek crossings can be a nerve-racking aspect of hiking, especially for a 7 and 3 year old who are out on their first hike. But I felt this was a great learning experience for them to see what they are physically capable of and that they can overcome scary and difficult things. They wanted to hold onto my and Molly’s hands as they crossed. I held Bug's hand, but only for a portion of it, as I had Bunny wrapped on my chest and I wanted my hands free in case I slipped on the wet rocks. It’s good that I did, because I did have to use my hands, one on the ground and one on Bunny’s head as I slipped off the last rock of the crossing.
We chose to take an alternate route back to the trailhead rather than backtrack the way we came. I told Molly I prefer a loop because I feel you get to experience more that way compared to an out-and-back. However, it became very clear to us that most people do hike to the falls in an out-and-back fashion and the loop trail was hard to follow. I had to check the map on All Trails a handful of times to ensure we were going the right way.
The boys were far from naturals at wayfinding, and kept walking off-trail. I laughed watching Bug as he walked on the upslope multiple times, with his head down looking only at his feet and not up at his surroundings. I used each time as an opportunity to teach them how to find the trail. I would point out things like rock steps, cleared paths, and trail blazes, telling them that those help us find the way on a hike. Towards the end, they started to use these indicators and stayed on the trail more.
Bug looking like a true naturalist!
Birdie and Bug loved taking turns as leaders. Birdie more than Bug as Bug needs some practice with sharing. Birdie would very agreeably say “okay!” when I said, “Now it’s Bug’s turn to lead.” Again, I think taking children on a hike is the perfect setting to teach them skills. Learning to share and take turns is a necessary skill to have to be a part of a community, and they were practicing it while breathing in fresh air and walking over the fallen leaves.
As we approached the trailhead, both boys started walking slower, Birdie feeling tired and Bug again trying to delay our departure. They would stop to touch moss and pick up leaves and they were really enjoying their time on the trail. When we got back to the car, we took off our packs and got the kids buckled up. On the drive home, they said how much fun they had and that they want to go on another hike next week when I visit again.
My friend Kay and I had been talking recently about the first hikes we took and how special those memories were to us. I know that Bug may not remember this as he is young at 3 years old, but I’m hopeful that both boys remember how much fun they have outside. Birdie fell and hurt his knee, immediately leaving a bright red spot that would leave a decent bruise, but he told his dad that he had so much fun and he wanted to go again next week. Bug got wet by going too far into the water, but didn’t want to leave as he was having so much fun playing in the water.
They may not remember their first hike, but I surely will.