Beyond the backyard - Palisade Falls

I know, I know... I'm almost done blogging about our MT vacation!  :)

On our last day in Belgrade, after Mandy, Ian, Bryn and Maryn piled in their car and headed home, our little family plus Grandma Cookie headed out for another hike.  Charlie got to participate in this one since most of it is really more of a stroll - not much of an incline and a paved path to boot!

It's a good thing it wasn't a tough hike, because on the way up this kid was not in the mood to walk.  On the way back down, he was not only walking on his own two feet, but cheerfully saying "hello" to everyone who passed, enthusiastically following Zach on the short-cuts, gamely climbing over fallen tree trunks, etc.  But on our way there, he was more like this:

Not exactly cooperative.  But we made it, and the view was worth it:

Pretty, isn't it?  Charlie yelled "wah-er fah" a few times, but then was much more interested in throwing rocks in the water.  Apparently that never gets old.  Zach tested his climbing skills on the rocks, with only a few minor slips.  I was quite disgusted to discover while I'd lugged my camera along, the battery was back in Belgrade, plugged into the charger.  Good thing Scott's phone has a decent camera!

See if you can spot Zach on Scott's shoulders on the right!

We took a family picture two years ago when we last did this hike -
click on the link to check out how we've changed!