It’s February. This winter has been pretty mild, but even so, our restless bodies and spirits let us know it was time to get outdoors and run, hike, and play. We decided to head northward for a weekend of snowy fun!
We left Columbus on Saturday morning of President’s Day weekend and drove to Mill Stream Run Reservation in Strongsville, Ohio to go tobogganing and kickoff our weekend adventure.
The Toboggan slid so fast! Scott took our boys along with Harriett, and Amelie and I ventured the next ride on our own. I was petrified as we first started our descent; it was thrilling. As the boys ran ahead for another go with the toboggan, the girls and I hung back and played in the snow.
After a good night’s rest, a pancake breakfast, and a few rounds of family hide-n-seek, we dressed and felt naturally ready for Day 2 of our winter weekend outdoor adventure. When we arrived at Polar Blast Snow Tubing, the snow tube hills were too slushy because of the sun and unseasonable warmth that day. The staff there suggested we come back in a few hours, just as the sun was setting. We decided to head over to the Boston Mill Visitor Center, where the kids engaged in a scavenger hunt and got their junior ranger workbooks. From there, we headed to Deep Lock Quarry Metropark for more snow play, hiking, and discovering…
We made snow people, played in snowball fights, and went on a winter hike to see and learn about the Erie Canal.
Nightfall began to descend. We got some dinner and made our way back to snow tubing. What an experience! Our kids loved it and expressed a confidence in their ability to brave the tallest hills on their own. It was truly spectacular for our family.
We snow tubed from 6pm until 9pm… we could have kept on going, but our 3-hour pass had expired and it was getting very late. We headed home and fell into a peaceful sleep. The next morning, we made a final stop at Lake Erie before heading home.
On the journey home, the kids worked on their Junior Ranger workbooks to later mail in and receive their first badge.
We are a blended family. We are so fortunate to have 4 children who love and care for one another, and even so, just like nuclear families, blended families require carved out special time to come together, laugh and explore, and reinforce bonding and family memory making. We find that the natural world offers our family a playground to come together more mindfully, slowing us down even as we speed down snowy hills and dash to dodge a snowball. We are a family that relishes camping, hiking, paddling, boating, fishing… and in these spaces we find ourselves and one another in special and invaluable ways. Soon we will be putting together programming to facilitate and invite other families to join us in outdoor adventuring and memory-making.
We invite you to stay tuned…
Natural Step Wilderness Experience (NSWE) 