Gonzalez Adventures: Elfin Forest Adventure

Living so close to a lake with great hiking trails and playgrounds has given us plenty of hours of fun in the great outdoors. But, yesterday we decided to branch out of our hiking comfort zone and try a new trail. We did a quick internet search for hiking in Escondido and found Elfin Forest. Their "Botanical Trail" is great for kids and less than a mile long. We printed our map and our Botanical Trail Guide designed to introduce us to some of the plant communities and help us identify some of the species found along the trail. There were numbered wooden stumps along the trail that coincided with numbers on the trail guide and a description of what we were looking at.

Luis was so excited to locate the numbers and find out what we would see next. Our first stop was Poison Oak. We learned a little rhyme to help us remember what poison oak looked like, "Leaves of three, stay away from me." I always wondered what Poison Oak looked like and never really took the time to check it out up close. Now Luis and I know what to look for on future hiking trips.

Our next stop was Black Sage. Our trail guide description told us to gently rub one of the leaves to smell the strong scent of sage. Here is Luis smelling the Sage:

There were 25 more things on our list to see, touch, smell and learn about along our path. Every once in awhile Luis would stop and inform me of what direction we were going. I have noticed that when he has something to hold on to and something specific to look for he enjoys the trip and doesn't get tired as fast.

The creek at the end of the trail was a great way to finish our new adventure. Luis made up a game using sticks and the flow of the creek and my favorite part was sitting on the rocks and just soaking up the nature all around us. Here is a picture of Luis "thinking" on a rock in the creek: