What was cool about this outing, is that once again the kids took the lead.  I like to plan enough time into Happy Trails events to allow plenty of time for families to "dawdle" in nature.  We started having a scavenger hunt, and also ended up hiding in tall prairie grass and climbing downed trees (my favorite!).  There were so many kids up in those branches, they reminded me of a flock of birds.  They had a blast; you could just see the self esteem shoot skyward as each child mastered this climb over and over again.   They didn't even realize they were getting lots of exercise and fresh air (don't tell them!)  Nature provides the best jungle gyms...