Easter Monday

Given that I go to a godless state school (which I usually am totally down with) I have no days off for Easter vacation. However, everyone else in my extended family does, and this year they decided to take a mini vacation to Cook Forest on the Monday after Easter for some hiking and a picnic lunch. As I am such a responsible student I had no problem skipping class to join the fun.

My brother Ricky and my cousin Adam do what they call "forest hopping" in the woods. It involves some pretty elaborate rules about setting a route through a section of woods with a limited amount of steps and certain marks to hit. Ex - "three steps to cross the log across the creek, jump the gap between rocks, hurdle two fallen trees, and leap back over stream - all in less than 25 steps."

My little cousin, Luke, in his best forestry outfit trying to follow the big boys as they forest hop. Being six years old and under four-foot didn't help.

Spring swelling of a tributary.

Still a little chilly.

Adam chatting with a crayfish he caught, Ricky thinks this is hilarious apparently.

Frog eggs!

The manly act of pushing boulders into water to watch the splash.