The First Spring Hike

After that absolutely amazingly beautiful first day of spring, things took a turn towards winter again. I reluctantly pulled Rudy's hat, coat, and mittens out from the back of the closet where I had stored them. I refused to pull out his boots, even though snow was on the ground a majority of the mornings last week.
Following all that chilliness, you can imagine my delight when it was sunny and in the 60's today while I was up in Midway visiting my family. Of course, a hike was in order. Mutti called all around the ward until she found someone with a backpack carrier so we could take Rudy with us and then we were off.
It was B.E.A.Uitful! The sky, the sunshine, the butterflies, the mountains, the air-all of it, just awesome! We hiked for a little over 2 hours, which really surprised me. I hadn't thought Rudy would last that long, but he was entertained watching Sam, my parents lab/golden retriever mix puppy, bound and leap through all the shrubbery along the trail. Here's a few shots of the hike:

This is just after leaving the car. I know Rudy looks really grumpy, but he was mostly just squinting into the sun, I think. Or maybe he was still getting over having sunscreen smeared through his hair.

There's my happy baby!

Mutti and Sam. It took some doing to get Sam to sit still long enough to have his picture taken. That dog LOVES the trails. He's actually pretty good about sticking with us and coming when he's called, considering that he's still under 6 months old.

Look at that view! It was better in person, but that's almost always how it is.

Rudy squirmed and wiggled in the backpack for most of the hike, trying to get a better view of Sam. Here, he's finally settled down.

His eyes are getting heavy...

At last, he succumbed to sleep.

This evening, as I was snuggling Rudy to sleep, I found my new favorite smell in the world. The smell of sunscreen, baby sweat, and the great outdoors all wrapped up in one. Maybe that doesn't sound that great to you, but trust me, it's heaven. :)