The Hidden Fortress

I'm going through pictures from the last few weeks--er...months--when the posting was just a tad light here at The Creeping Kid and lifting out some shots I like to share with you. As I'm working back from the present, there'll be some thematic overlap. A couple of days ago I posted a PfTD that Wendy took of Kiernan in a fort. She took this took this picture when I was off on a long hike. My family had given me the weekend off, basically, and I'd elected to use the time trying out a couple of nearby hikes that were new to me.

So in this weird and short little post I'll put up a couple more fort pictures that I particularly liked, and a couple of hike pictures. Yes, the two hike pictures have nothing to do with the main focus of this blog--Kiernan--but I thought I'd share them anyway. It's worthwhile to know what the parents are up to from time to time.

But first, how about another fort picture?

This is Kiernan suspended on the infrastructure of the dining room table. I'm telling you, this fort was substantial. It took up almost all of our big family room, taking over our favorite chair (the reading chair), most of the dining room table chairs, and the dining room table. Luckily we eat almost all of our meals outside now, either at our cool outdoor table on the back patio or in the tent I set up with Kiernan a few days ago. So the monopolization of the family room by Fort Keirnan was no big deal. For a few days anyway. Until it began to drive me nuts and I just had to vacuum.

There was no fort for a week or so after that. Now the fort has reappeared in Kiernan's room. But that's a picture for another post.

As I mentioned above, I was off on a hike when the above pictures were taken. The hike I took on day one was absolutely wonderful. It ended up being between five and six miles of hiking (perhaps a bit more, as I "explored" some trails that weren't strictly a part of the hike). It's been awhile since I've gone on a hike this extensive, and I've never done it alone, so this was a nifty adventure.

The hike I took on this day was the La Jolla Valley Loop, and it was gorgeous. Not overly difficult, but strenuous enough to make me feel it. Here's a shot from early on...

One of the beautiful things about hiking, especially here, is that you can get out in the middle of nowhere after not so long a drive. It's cool to see the above picture when I think of how crowded and crazily populated this area is.

The hike involved some zigzagging up the canyon, working my way up past a waterfall (dry this time of year), combined with walks through huge open grass fields, all punctuated by sweeping views of the Pacific as I made my way around the back side of the loop. Here's a shot of one of those:


Took me about three and a half hours, and it was time very well spent.

Thanks to my family.