Hiking Mount Willard

Summit of Mount Willard

This spring has been gorgeous thus far, and I've been itching to get in a good hike. Robbie has a long weekend so we decided to head out to one of our favorite hiking destinations: the White Mountains. We opted to try a hike we had never done before. We wanted to do something easy enough that the boys could handle it (they are pretty good hikers already), but that still had interesting terrain, reached a summit and had fantastic views of the the White Mountain National Forest. Mount Willard did not disappoint. It was 1.6 miles up for a total of 3.2 miles. That was just the right amount for the boys. I had to carry Link only a little ways up near the top, and Meo walked the whole thing and only exclaimed he was tired about 5 minutes from reaching the end.

Ready to hike!

We caught 6 frogs/toads on our way up and down which was super exciting for us. The first one we spotted before we even reached the official trailhead.

Start of the trail

One of Robbie's favorite parts of the hike was crossing this stream.

We were so proud of Pippin on this hike. He stayed right by our side the entire time, and sat down to let people pass without jumping. He had a lot of fun and was such a good boy.

It was hot so we all had lots of water breaks!

Link was afraid of the waterfall on the way up. On the way down though, he was a changed boy and decided to start climbing up the waterfall (and I had to run and grab him!).

About 4/5th the way up, Linky-Loo need a rest on his Mama's back.

The summit snuck up on us, and it had a spectacular view.

We had lunch at the edge of a cliff. This was a little nerve wracking at times (Link is fearless), but it was worth it. It was so breathtakingly beautiful there.

Pippin had a good rest at the summit.

Both boys walked all the way down the mountain in good spirits. This was a little surprising considering they had done so much already and it was well past their usual nap time. Little troopers!

So many little frogs! I love how excited the boys get about nature.

There was also lots of sword fighting of course.

Link was filthy.

Daddy was exhausted.

My feet do not like being in shoes while going down mountains, so I couldn't resist dipping them into the pool at the bottom of the waterfall.

Pippin couldn't resist either.

And then my feet refused to be put back into said shoes so I hiked barefoot. It was much nicer.

Link, who's shoes and socks were drenched from trying to climb the waterfall, asked to take his shoes off too. This baby is made of tough stuff. He didn't complain once.

Meo looked for salamanders a bunch but didn't find any.

After the hike, as tradition, we went out for pizza.

We found a place that had outdoor seating so Pippin could come. He had never eaten at a restaurant before and he was very well behaved. He just laid next to me the whole time. Such a good puppy! I wish he would be so polite during meal time at home!

By the end we were all very tired and ready to get home, take a bath and get some rest. A shower and sleep never feel better than after a day outside climbing mountains. Mount Willard was a fantastic hike and I'm glad we decided to try something new!