out and about: bear mountain.

April 22, 2013

bearmt4
Here’s a thing about me that you might not know. To my family, I’m Bear. Growing up, while I picked buttercups on the margins of the soccer field, my mom and dad shouted a never ending chorus of encouragements:

“Go, Bear!”
“Go get ’em, Bear!”
“You can do it, Bear!”
“That-a-girl, Bear!”

Mostly this mortified me, which it shouldn’t have. The inscrutable name coupled by my utter lack of response would have made it difficult to determine which of the players on the field was actually called Bear. To this day, parents of other players from Shoreline Connecticut circa 1992 might actually believe Bear to be the name of a girl who ran toward the ball instead of away from it.

That’s an aside, mostly.

The main point is this: On Sunday, to celebrate the first three months of my nephew’s sweet life on this planet, I dusted off the kind of athletic skills that have always been more squarely in my comfort zone and hiked Bear Mountain with my sister Cait, baby Oliver, and our partners in crime and other things. That’s kind of like hiking Erin Mountain. Just so you understand.

We packed a lunch of hummus and pita and more than our share of chocolate-covered almonds and spent the day outside of the city gulping in fresh air and getting sunburned. It was glorious. Here, a few photos:
bearmt5 Fueling up and fancy footwork. bearmt6 Bébé, incognito.bearmt2Babbling brooks and other nature-y things.bearmt1Cait and Curt, and an invisible-but-decidedly-present, Oliver. bearmt3 Stone steps.
bearmt7Queens of Bear Mountain. bearmt8Stunners.
bearmt9Cheeseballs.

Happy Earth Day, friends.

ps. My thoughts on what it means to “be green.”

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15 Comments

  • Reply tinajo April 22, 2013 at 1:39 pm

    Looks like a cozy time for all of you! 🙂

    1
  • Reply Chloe Moon April 22, 2013 at 1:46 pm

    I just love going to Bear Mountain! I live near there! It's such a great place to get lost in mother nature for a while! Aww that pic with your nephew rocking out the glasses is awesome! =)

    Ergo – Blog

  • Reply kate April 22, 2013 at 2:41 pm

    Such fun family outing; and what a sweet nephew you have. Happy Earth Day. 🙂

  • Reply Charlotte F April 22, 2013 at 4:51 pm

    Wow, looks like you all had a great time! Love the photos! 🙂

  • Reply bliss-ologie April 22, 2013 at 6:04 pm

    Beautiful! There's an equally gorgeous hike in my area called the bear's hump. Bear mountain sounds nicer…

    Happy earth day!

  • Reply E. Smith April 22, 2013 at 6:40 pm

    My family still calls me Bear :). I find this quite humorous since my name, too, is Erin, and I grew up next door in Guilford.

  • Reply Cara of Big Girls, Small Kitchen April 22, 2013 at 8:32 pm

    I love that hike!

  • Reply LARY @InspirationNook April 22, 2013 at 8:39 pm

    Such a cute post! Your nephew is just adorable. Your sister is a cute momma! Love the Bear nickname. 🙂

  • Reply nichole April 22, 2013 at 11:06 pm

    my family still calls me bear. all my coaches did. i even sign emails bear. people definitely thought my name was bear.

  • Reply Milynn {Love + Whimsy} April 23, 2013 at 12:54 am

    Looks like such a glorious day for a hike 🙂 Baby Oliver is so adorable!

  • Reply Jen April 23, 2013 at 1:06 am

    My current nickname for my beagle is Bear. I have no idea why I call him that, but he answers to it so that's all that matters, I guess.

  • Reply Julia April 23, 2013 at 6:38 pm

    bear mountain was definitely a favorite getaway during my childhood. so much fun!

  • Reply Danielle E. Alvarez April 24, 2013 at 8:43 am

    Oh, this post makes me miss home. My family and I used to pick our pumpkins up there every fall. Thanks for sharing such gorgeous photos 🙂

  • Reply Anonymous April 25, 2013 at 3:24 am

    this is adorbs.

    – Hannah

  • Reply Prime pets May 11, 2013 at 3:02 am

    What a good way to celebrate. Your pictures are so nice- they're huge and they're taken in a way that emphasizes the fact that it's in three dimensions, that you're not looking at a flat image. for that reason, as I scroll down the page, I feel like I'm there.

    I wonder what you will do for his third birthday? Take on another hike? Who knows, whatever you decide, I think it may very well top this.

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