Dragons & Ladybugs

Hiking Pennyweight Trail

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“O to be a dragon…” —Marianne Moore

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I’ve always been a sucker for fantastical tales of dragons and magic, and this last Saturday's hike made me feel like I was stepping out of a fantasy novel.

We enjoyed the Pennyweight Trail that runs along the North Fork American River near Colfax, CA. Stepping into a small cave, witnessing thousands of ladybugs congregating on bushes and flying through the air, and having fun pretending to be dragons with Magnus and Maev made it a truly magical time.

Also, be sure to check out our YouTube Short of our adventure here.

Hike Stats

Length: 2.6 miles
Elevation Gain: 479 feet
Time: 2 hours, 42 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Hiking Down

To start, we parked our car about a quarter mile down the road from the trailhead. There’s a cool little camping area there with a walking bridge over the river—an old wooden one that used to be part of the highway.

If I’m being honest, it gave me a little anxiety because you could feel it slightly sway and some of the wood looked like it had seen better days. But it was still neat.

The trail itself was in excellent condition and fairly easy to traverse, with only a handful of spots that were a little tricky. Since it wasn’t too long of a hike, we decided not to bring Magnus’s backpack carrier in favor of letting him hike by himself.

Naturally, he was thrilled and did very well. Magnus scampered along happily, and we proudly watched him navigate the terrain, offering him the occasional hand. In the tricky areas, Aaron just carried him on his shoulders, a practice they’re both very accustomed to.

Then, of course, Maev was with me in the harness. Our walk along the river to the bank was beautiful, and we came across a little cave and a gurgling waterfall which the kids enjoyed.

Little Baby Dragon

Once we made it to the riverbank, we let the kids run around and play.

Maev happily stacked stones and enjoyed finding the wet sand beneath the rocks. Magnus enthusiastically threw rock after rock into the water, watching them splash. Aaron always joins in with him, showing off some of his mad rock-skipping skills.

The riverbed is home to some beautiful stones, and we all enjoyed finding ones with unique patterns and colors.

After we had our snacks we brought with us, Magnus decided he was a dragon. He flapped his arms and ran around roaring, “I am a dragon!” We all joined in, and he had fun talking to his Mommy Dragon, Daddy Dragon, and little Baby Dragon Maev. It was a game that we continued to play for the rest of the hike as well.

Ladybug, Ladybug, Fly Away Home

The hike back was as pleasant as the hike there. At one point as we walked along, we noticed some of the bushes looked reddish, and upon further investigation, we realized they were covered in ladybugs.

I’ve never seen so many ladybugs in my life. Once we realized there were ladybugs coating the plants for about a 20-foot radius (maybe more), we looked up and saw hundreds of them flying around.

It was pretty magical, and the kids loved seeing the colorful bugs flutter around. Magnus held a few of them and giggled as they tickled his hands.

On the way back to the car, Magnus continued to be a little dragon and would periodically stop to say, “I love you, Mommy Dragon, I love you, Daddy Dragon,” and give us hugs. Of course, this completely melted my heart and had me beaming all the way back to the car.

It was a wonderful hike and a wonderful day.

As always, thanks for reading, and be sure to subscribe if you haven’t already. Happy trails!