When I was a child, I went to Bash Bish Falls a lot. My grandmother lived in Copake, New York, and she worked a hop, skip, and jump from Taconic State Park. There are even pictures of me as a toddler with both of my grandmothers at Bash Bish Falls. Since I have lived in Amenia, it has long been a favorite place to hike, to photograph, to hang out, and to contemplate life. Jamie took me there on the first of my birthdays we spent together, and we huddled in the snow and ice, maybe even drinking champagne if my memory serves me. It's possible I made that part up.
I missed Bash Bish when we lived in Connecticut, and Kent Falls, in Kent, CT, just doesn't have the same appeal. Since we moved back, I guess we have been waiting for Duncan to be old enough to walk to the top because neither of us has felt up to carrying him. We weren't sure if he would enjoy it, but we told him we were going on a hike, and he perked right up. He loved the idea. He loved that we were packing lunches to eat while we were walking. "This is hiking?" he asked as we headed up the trail.
He made it all the way up (it's only 3/4 mile, but it's uphill; well, obviously, it is, and he has little legs). We rested once on the walk up and once on the walk down. He got a little antsy on the way down and complained of being tired, but we were nearly there so he soldiered on. As we walked back into the parking lot, I exclaimed "You made it!" He echoed "I MADE IT!" Duncan liked "hiking." I had already decided that if he could walk the whole way, we could start taking some short hikes as a family. I'm surprised at how happy I am that we'll be able to add that activity back into our lives again.
