Hiking Challenge 2011

It is July and time to begin our 2011 hiking challenge.  This year we are going for 40 miles between July 4 and Sept. 30.  In addition to rating the trails for difficulty, I will also include a Jellybean Rating.  Much of our hiking success is due to our willingness to dole out little bribes along the way in the form of jellybeans.  It is actually quite shocking how far and fast the boys will walk on the simple promise of a jellybean at the top of the hill, or in 3 more switchbacks, or when we get to the waterfall.  Some hikes require more jellybeans than others---it depends on the mood, timing, coolness of the hike, and many other factors we have yet to understand fully.  So--the jellybean rating will offer up a valuable new statistic--the number of jellybeans required to get through an entire hike (roundtrip trip and per boy).