My boy wanted to go hiking with me today, but just with me. I jumped at the chance.

You see, Ben can be difficult to please sometimes. Yesterday, we had hiked up the trail behind the Palm Springs Art Museum – Ben, Ella and I – and had had a nice time.

The thing with Ben is that he feels a need to be competent within the first few minutes of doing anything. This can make learning new things a challenge.

With the hiking today, he seemed to really enjoy himself. And he did very well. The trail is moderately challenging, with a 2 mile length and a 900 foot gain in elevation. We must have done more than half of it today.

Ben was beaming with excitement about the climbing, the beautiful view and how much fun he was having. I told him several times how great he was doing – you’re an expert kid hiker, I told him.

Hopefully, his love of hiking lasts for many years to come.