Birthday hike to Ancient Lakes

This is Jon. Anyone who knows my three girls knows they're not the greatest in the heat. Me? The hotter the better, the colder the better. While we're outside often during the summer weather, most of our hikes are during the cooler wintertime so we can enjoy nature without getting heatstroke. Below is a hike I've been eyeing for a few months now, someone told me about it then, I saw it again online and I told my girls this is what I wanted to do for my birthday. It all worked out. Ancient Lakes is about an hour away, but it's an easy, lazy drive over the river into Grant County.

Family photo to start the hike.

The picture doesn't do it justice, but the basalt walls behind the girls were enormous. To see it in person is the only way to do it justice.

Another waterfall for us to enjoy this week. In fact there were at least 10 falls that ranged from a winter trickle to this one, which was probably the biggest of them all at this point of the season.

I swear, Adelyn is part mountain goat. She led the way for me and Delaney (who played more of a porter and sherpa role). The girl's legs just kept chugging away to get to the bottom of the waterfall.

Great birthday gift from two of my girls.

A couple of the lakes in this view.

Family photo in front of the first lake we saw.

Proving this is God's Country yet again.