While Chelsea stayed at the cabin for some quiet time, we took the boys on another hike, this time up the Blue Ridge trail near Big Pines and the Mountain High ski resorts. From our two previous visits here, we recalled a trailside bench halfway up the route, a mile from both the trailhead and the top of the trail at Blue Ridge campground – after the nearly-two-mile hike the day before, we figured the little guys could make it to the bench and back. We got an earlier start this time, heading out from Big Pines at about 9:30am, and made our way relatively quickly across the undulating terrain at the base of the mountain. We took a couple of breaks as the trail started to steepen, ascending through several short switchbacks and trending southeastward up a deep draw that separates the Mountain High East and West properties. Following the second stop, at which we broke out some snacks, Beckett got upset that Ollie – who likes to pretend he’s a sloth – had not finished his snack bar, a situation that poor Beckett found intolerable. So, the next quarter-mile became an increasingly cacophonous meltdown as Beck came to terms with the fact that Bubba didn’t get any more food than himself, he just ate it more slowly. Ah, the great outdoors. Beckett eventually calmed down and we continued our uphill trek, the trail meandering its way south at a manageable grade. Jude was typically happy to charge ahead with Jane – Ollie sometimes chose to keep up with them, sometimes to hang back with Pop and Beckett. We soon found the promised bench, where we took some pictures and the guys ate bananas before turning back after ten minutes or so. We had gained nearly 500′ of elevation to this point, and the boys likely enjoyed the downhill a bit more than they had the uphill, at least as indicated by our pace down the path. We stopped to chat with others on the trail, the guys always eager to pet the many dogs and receive the “oh, so cute” comments that littered the trip both going and coming. We stopped for a minute at a small creek that had been dry higher up when we crossed its bed, and again at the footbridge near the bottom of the trail, where that creek was surprisingly dry. Beckett got a little tired toward the end but still finished the hike under his own power, albeit absent some of the enthusiasm with which he started. Such a great trail, although the presence of two solo mountain bikers, neither of whom had bells to warn us of their approach, created some tense moments as we rushed the boys aside to allow the riders’ passage – fair warning for future trips. Next time here we’ll have to go all the way to the top.