Well, this Family Fun Night is not literally a family fun “night.” It is more of a Family Fun Experience or Family Fun Event. Either way, it’s still a great family fun time…and all it involves is a little hike. Family hikes are fun and free—they cost nothing! On a hike, you and your family can get out of the house, away from the daily grind, and into nature. Together you can enjoy the trees, watch the birds, climb over some rocks, wade through streams, and maybe even see some deer, squirrel, turkey, elk, bear, or other fascinating wildlife.

 

To make a family hike really enjoyable, pack a small snack or lunch (small enough to put in a small back pack) and pick a scenic spot to stop for a picnic. One of my favorites in our area is a particular outcroppings of rocks on the Laurel trail. On a clear day you can sit on that outcropping while conversing with your family and enjoying some crackers, cheese, and drink while looking over the tree covered valleys and hills, through the “gaps of the Chestnut Ridge” all the way to the distant US Steel Building in downtown PGH! It’s a beautiful view of the mountains and valleys of the Laurel Highland Trail.

 

There really is something healing to individuals and families when you share a meal in the shade of a forest tree surrounded by a variety of plant life, listening to a babbling brook, and serenaded by a choir of birds. Shoulders relax. Walls fall down. Conversations deepen…and families connect. So enjoy a family hike for family fun! If you live in PGH, click here for a few ideas on where to take a family hike in this area. Wherever you choose to hike, have a great family fun time.