My new hiking partner

Trey did such a good job on our hike yesterday that I asked him if he wanted to get up early and go for a long hike this morning.  He was so excited!  When I woke him up at 5:45am he popped right out of bed.  We stopped to pick up some hiking boots for him from a friend (too small), and we were on the trail by 6:30am.  I've done this hike at Castlewood Canyon many times, and it is 4.5 miles with a steep start, then fairly flat the rest of the time with a few step hills.  The scenery changes a lot - starts rocky up a hillside, then flat across the canyon rim, then a short section through tall grasses, then finish with 2 miles along a river.

Trey did excellently!  We even ran for a half mile through a flat section near the end.  He wasn't even winded going up the steep beginning.  How do I know?  He talked the whole time!  We finished in 2 hour exactly which included a 5 minute stop for pictures at the top.  It is a lot higher than it looks in the pictures!!

We are planning to go again on Wednesday before work and do the trail in reverse, which I have never done.  There is also another trail we can add onto this one to make a 6.5 mile hike, so we might do that one soon.  It is fun to have a new hiking partner!

I had my pepper spray in my hand the whole time just in case we met scary animals on the trail.