I suggested a nature walk this afternoon and quickly had three willing participants.  Consensus built for a hike out to the Devil’s Staircase, so named for the rock formation leading to the top of Fairhaven Hill.

Once to the top we posed for a dronie after which Nicolai did a bit of rock climbing while Maya and Kyle took turns flying my quadcopter.

On the way back, Maya announced, out of the blue, that she could carry me out of the woods if I ever became injured.  Fifteen seconds later I turned my ankle and thought it might be necessary to test her theory.  Even though I had no trouble continuing under my own power, the kids deemed it necessary to test who could carry whom to safety. Kyle was able to run uphill with Nico over his shoulders.  Maya scooped up Kyle like she was throwing on a shawl. Nicolai was more than strong enough to pick up Maya but they never managed to achieve a satisfactory state of balance.  Nicolai had better luck with Kyle hanging on to his back but that combination ended quickly when it began to look more like a mating act than a rescue effort. Suffice it to say, we returned from our walk convinced that all family members could be extracted from the wilderness should the need arise.  I would venture to say that no other family on the planet spent Christmas Eve in this way.