September Hike

This was the day we set out for a little outing and ended up on a proper hike. Our first hike as a family, and what a delicious one it was. At this time of the year the air is dry and not hot yet around here. From our house we often see bushfires on the surrounding hills. A few weeks ago one of those consumed part of the parc of the pico do Itacolomi, luckily not too close to the restaurant and playground where we often spend an afternoon on week-ends. We were heading out to do so today, but Leila insisted that we went for a hike. More specifically she wanted us to climb up a mountain. This came out as a bit of a surprise in the sense that Leila has not shown much if any enthusiasm at walking. In restrospect, I do not think that she sees any relationship between walking (boringly slow and tiring) and climbing up a mountain.

She impressed us today. She kept a fast pace in front of us, so she could pick a rock and sit for a minute while we were making our way up, Coline sometimes on her feet but mostly on Cristiano's back, oscillating between being daddy's sweety pie and an adventurer herself too. We climbed up until we could get a 360 degrees view of the surroundings, although not quite at the pico, because, you know, it was way past lunchtime and lunch was not in the light bag I carried along. Neither was my camera, to my great regret. What was in there, though, was my mini-first-aid kit, to Coline's delight. In the midday sun, on a rock that has holes carved in just the right size for our bums to sit, our hair blown in the wind of the summit, there she put cream on her sores and scratches. We slid and jumped our way down, still without any complain from Leila in spite the many falls, the heat and hunger and definitely full of pride and elation. This was fun and we will come back.

 Pico do Itacolomi seen from a neighboring hill 

a short pre-hike in the parc of the pico 

I checked the map before starting our hike, went away a few steps, came back, saw this creature slowly crawling where I had been standing, froze, and realized it was not a snake but just a slightly gigantic kind of earthworm. As far as I am concerned it is deadly, given how my heart stopped when I saw it so close.