Time flies when fourth-grader takes a hike

As an infant, Joseph Peters traveled for miles in a carrier slung across his mother’s chest, while brother Cody, 15 months his senior, rode in the backpack. When Joey grew too heavy to be carried, he hiked on his own toddler-sized feet. It’s no wonder that now, at age 10, he feels comfortable on hikes that last eight hours and up to 10 miles. Some overnight trips cover 20 miles round-trip when the family hikes into wilderness, camps and then hikes out.

When Joey heard his mother, Nikki, say he’s hiked that many miles, he seemed surprised.

“Wow, I only think it’s two or three,” he said.

It’s the adults who remind this Garwood Elementary fourth-grader that the sun is setting and they ought to head home. He is usually focused on which trees or boulders to climb.

“Ever since day one, every time he’s in the mountains he forgets about time,” his mom said. “He always wants to go further.”

Joey doesn’t recall many details of specific trails or scenery. It’s what he finds along the way that makes his adventures memorable. And mostly, what he finds are rocks.

The rocks occupy several rows of shelves in his bedroom and come in every shape and hue. Some are shiny, some dull, while others are jagged or smooth. They all came from one of Joey’s treks and follow no common theme.

“I like all rocks,” he said. “I keep them just to look at.”

The brothers help choose which hike the family will take on spare weekends through the fall, spring and summer months. They’ve completed many from Rich Lander’s (of The Spokesman-Review) book “100 Hikes of the Inland Northwest.” Joey has the souvenirs to prove it. Every trip yields another treasure. Fossilized leaves, creature shells or antlers are added to his rock pile. Periodically, when his mother insists, he whittles down his collection, which spills over into several rooms in the house.

The family skis and snowboards in the winter and when the snow melts, will often hike deserted ski trails. On one such trip to 49 Degrees North Ski Resort, the family came face-to-face with nature’s hazardous side. An irate moose gave a glare and charged the hikers, but not before Nikki threw her sons behind some trees. Fortunately, the moose backed away.

Joey was about 6 at the time, but it didn’t put a stop to the family’s adventures. They do consider safety, avoid hunting zones, and wear orange in the fall. Sometimes the lessons learned from wildlife happen right in the backyard – like the snakes Joey found.

He caught two of them, one large and one small, and put them into a bag. When he opened it later, he discovered that the smaller snake was gone.

“The big one ate it,” he said.

Mom generally doesn’t allow critters to be part of the souvenir collection, but has allowed a hamster, Oreo, to join their clan. Besides playing guitar and football, Joey also likes climbing rock walls indoors or outside. In the future, he hopes to explore the Great Wall of China. He’d like to become a scientist studying nature and, of course, rocks.

“That’s exactly why I’ve been collecting them,” he said.