After a morning of working in the yard, meeting another super nice neighbor and a bit of clean up, we headed out for the mountains.
The almost two hour drive to this spot was well worth it. It was beautiful and plans to camp here this summer are definitely in the works.
It was a great trail filled with lots of wonderful views and all kinds of neat rocks and plants to spot along the way.
The sign that directed hikers and horses onto different trails should have been a clue as to what lay ahead though.
We almost had to turn around when we emerged out of the forest to find a cliff side trail that had views that were a little too spectacular for our little gal with a bit of a fear of heights. I must admit that even I had a bit of vertigo faced with both an insane drop and huge looming cliffs across the
chasm.
Knowing it was perfectly safe and having our trusty scout report back with the all clear, I bucked up my own courage to coach her along. It was a great experience for us both. She was so happy she forged ahead and on the return trip, while she initially wanted to take the horse trail, she did great, making her way without even holding my hand.
Yet another instance of knowing when to push a little to help work through fears and build up confidence. And overcoming my own reservations to be the needed cheerleader at that moment.
Have your kids had fears that they worked to overcome? Did they finally grow out of those fears? What helped?
Wow!! Looks like an amazing spot to hike and camp. Love the little everyday lessons that came out of it :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous spot!
ReplyDeleteMy kids haven't had big fears, but little ones along the way. My oldest is very very shy and I have had to help her along often when she was younger, gently nudging her along but also knowing when to step back and not "push" anymore was the biggest lesson for me.
I was really shy as a kid. Not even sure how I got over it. I am sure my mom had something to do with it... she did have me do things like sing with her in front of an audience. ;-)
DeleteI tend to let things go and not push so this was good for me.
So lovely, onces again I can smell the trees and the dusty trail. There aren't any dusty trails here! Can you tell me what Mountains those are in? I spent my whole summers as a camp counselor in in the Jemez mountians. I can tell you lots of places to go there. Though that might be a bit far from you. Cuba has some lovely hikes as well.
ReplyDeleteAs for fears, S is incredible at getting over things she's afraid of. She will be afraid of something and you can visibly see her fright yet she will say "I will do it or look at it anyway." Pretty powerful to watch really. At 22 months she actually yelled out at thunder "I am not afraid!"
This spot is in the San Juan Wilderness in Southern Colorado by Lake Vallecito.
DeleteWhen we drove through Cuba to get here it looked really neat. I would imagine there are some great spots around there. Any links for trail/camping tips you can pass on would be loved!
That is awesome about S. Powering up on those fears at such a young age is amazing.
My oldest is prone to anxiety and slightly obsessive/compulsive, so we go through shifting fears, started with bathtubs, thunderstorms, cleaning agents, robbers, you name it. We have to just keep talking through it. That seems to work best, we just talk, talk, talk our way through until she conquers it and then she's fine.
ReplyDeleteWhen we went hiking in Colorado we came upon one of those switchbacks and she froze in terror. We made it bit by bit, her lassoed around my waist. You can do it, you're okay and she was quite proud and I was quite proud of myself as I am afraid of heights and that plummet rocked me as well (gulp).
My youngest though (the one with a fractured ankle from climbing) has no fear, she climbed the rocks in Utah with no thought me yelling, get her, get her, get her and her yelling down, don't help me!
Love these photos, how absolutely gorgeous!!
We are missing our hikes as the little one is laid up.
Talking seems to be the thing that works best here too... There really is no other way. Too strong of a push just makes things worse!
DeleteYes. Some of those trails are wild. I guess I don't remember those parts from hiking the Mts. in my youth because it did not phase me much. Now I really have to think about where we are hiking, the trail, and even the road to get there. Once she would not get out to hike because we had to drive up on a dam, and she was on the side looking WAY down... she got really scared. But we had no idea because we had never been there before.
Your youngest sounds a lot like the little man! Funny how they can be so different!
I bet your daughter is so happy and proud (and you as well!). Knowing that it's safe and yet facing a fear takes tremendous courage. Lovely outing and beautiful photos, I feel like I was there!
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful!
ReplyDeleteMy youngest is my only child that has ever been afraid to try new things, all the others are dare devils!
I have found taking it slow, offering encouraging words and lots of praise when the task is accomplished has worked well. Each time a fear is overcome, confidence is built. I never push, and often we do whatever it is together, but I let him set the pass.
Yes! She definitely sets the pace in things like this and I am always right there with her. Indeed, taking at slow is key... something I remind myself of often. There is really no hurry. Trying to hurry her up makes things worse and never ends well. Luckily I learned that early when she was really young! But still have to self-talk myself to slow down with it.
DeleteThanks Tracey!
That should be pace, not pass, sorry.
ReplyDelete:-)
DeleteMy oldest has a fear of the dark. He has always suffered from nightmares as well. He is working so hard on these fears. I help him during the night with refocusing his mind on good things and not the monsters that haunt his dreams. Bravo to your intrepid hiker and to you too, Mama.
ReplyDeleteOh... that is a tough one. She has fears of the dark, like I did as a kid, but luckily not the nightmares.
DeleteThanks Heather!