Day 2, July 8th

I told you I'm horrible at this writing stuff. It takes me a while to get to the updating and writing of our adventures.

Welcome to Gillette's Castle. It was a horribly hot and humid day with no ac in the van to take comfort in after a hike. I don't know what I was thinking. Well, I guess I was thinking of our goal and all of you out there looking for us. hahaha

Even the camera was revolting against the humidity!

We arrived about 11:30am and decided to tour the castle first. $6 per adult and $2 per child.

Cool! right?

So being the daughter of an architect and a sister of a photographer I take lots of pictures about architecture. Sorry. I will share a few but Gillette was very skilled in his design of his home and it's intriguing to discover all his crafty ways by paying a visit yourself.

To start Gillette built a railroad track on his property complete with Grand Central Station overlooking the CT River. The kids are contemplating life, haha just kidding. I'm not sure what they were thinking but the pictures are cute.

Orion in the entryway closet complete with stone hooks to hang coats.



Main staircase. It has a stone seat in the corner and a secret passageway to the living room
 so he could skip ahead of his guests and greet them as they enter the room.

Tiffany hanging lamp at the top of the stairs.

Electrical panel in main staircase. The secret passage door is just to the left up a few skinny stairs.

Secret passage door in the living room.
 





Orion peering out the window with it's unique locking system.



Merick was very intrigued by the running fountain in the greenhouse room off the living room.

 

This is the dinning room table. Gillette put metal rails on the floor under this table and his desk table
 and chair so that it wouldn't scratch the wood when it moved. Smart guy!

1st Day out July 3rd

I'm a little late in posting this but we had our first hike on July 3rd. The weather was perfect!!!

Here we are at the start. People's State Forest.

When we first arrived we decided to try a little letterboxing. If you don't know what that is, it is a scavenger hunt for a box hidden by someone. In the boxes you can find a guest book for which you sign or stamp with your team stamp saying you were there.

We searched far and wide but all we saw was a bunch of:

GRRRR! So we gave p on that and went back to the car to have lunch and a little Frisbee.

After lunch we decided to drive down the road a piece and set out on a real trail.

Let me tell you it was a tough climb. We took the trail less traveled by and it was straight up to the waterfall. Huffing and puffing all the way but hopefully that will change as we continue to Hike Our Way!

So we kept climbing and took a few wrong turns, crossed the falls in the middle but we finally made it to the top. There is a small bridge we were able to stop at and enjoy the view and sounds of the fall. It was quite peaceful. So if you make it to the top take a few minuets to sit and relax before climbing back down.

Our a steep way down but not as steep as the way up we hit the Lighthouse trail. Don't blink or you will miss it. It has some ruins from an old village but those are pretty difficult to point out as well. Oh yea! There literally is no lighthouse.

The kids pretending to be minors in the quarry. Don't worry it's just a big rock in the middle of the woods.

We pretty much ended our first adventure there. I was a perfect day for a hike and we had a great time being together and alone all at the same time.

Can't wait to see where we go next? Stay posted or subscribe to our blog so you can be updated!

Happy Trails!

The Start of Something New!!!!

Hey Everyone!
My name is Tanya. I'm not much of a writer or even a hiker but I thought I'd start this blog to help inspire others to get up and start moving! Okay so I really wanted motivation for myself and my three amazing kids!

When I was a kid my parents would take us all over creation and rest assure there would be a hike involved or jumping rocks in the river. We had fun because we were with family! Not because our parents ( I have 3 siblings) spent a ton of money and got us fancy things or took us to expensive museums and amusement parks, but because we knew we were loved and we were together. To this day, spending time together as a family is what we do best!

Me on the left with my 2 sisters.

So I grew up and met this man who LOVES to be in the woods. He doesn't care what he's there for he just loves being there. We fell in love, got married, and went camping in the woods with no tent for one weekend of our honeymoon. His idea, not mine I'd have to admit I don't love the woods that much!

Our outdoor backyard wedding reception June 2002.

We couldn't wait to have children so we didn't We had our 1st child shortly after our 2nd wedding anniversary. This amazing boy who is super smart and loves the outdoors just as much as his father.

Merick just before turning 3 atop Mt. Major, NH. Yup! he climbed himself. (fake magazine cover)

I didn't go on the above hike because I was less than a month away from having our 3rd child. Before I get to that though we had our daughter Sahara. She's beautiful outside and in. She's the most amazing helper and loves her brothers and parents dearly.

Sahara about 4 years old visiting lighthouses with grandma and great-grandpa.

Last but certainly not least but very special in his own way is Orion. There is 3years and 2 weeks between him and Merick, so as you can see we couldn't wait to have a family. Orion's very name means dweller on the mountain and was named that because of daddy loving it out there so much! He's a little runt but man can he move like lightening not only when running but when he puts his dance moves on!

Orion at about 4 years old. Told you he's a pip.

So we finished having kids but sadly I kept growing and lost my love of hiking due to back and knee pain. My husband and kids have spent many hours camping and hiking and orienteering all the while I sat home alone growing.
Well I'm TIRED of it! I'm tired of being tired and most of all I'm tired of growing. So help me, help me and my kids HIKE OUR WAY.......
1) Through the CT State Parks!
2) Back to Health!
3) Back to thin!

Here's how you can help: Get out there and hike. We want to see everyone on the trails this summer! Say hello to us and get to know us and in turn we you! We will not tell you where we are for the day but if you are 1 of the 1st 5 people to find us ( I have to be in the group) when we are on the trail then you will get a small prize from us. A token of thanks for helping us get healthy! We will also carry a small notebook with us that we would love for you to sign so we can continue to encourage one another. We will update this blog with pictures and stories from our adventures so please check in often and see how we are doing!

Comments are welcome and please share your stories, we'd love to hear from you!

Sincerely,
LaVallee Mom and kids