A day in the woods

Last week we met another family out at the Cradle of Forestry for a walk in the woods. It has been so nice getting out and enjoying the nice weather--though it's getting a little less comfortable walking and pushing a stroller all the time! I just keep telling myself, "You're walking the baby OUT! You're walking the baby OUT!" That's pretty good motivation!

All along the trail we took they have stations for kids to explore nature. I made the kids saddle up on this log at one of the stops! Max looks like he's more concerned with what his friend, Eden, is doing than Mommy trying to take his picture-- pretty typical!

We got all three kiddos to sit on the hearth of this old fireplace. Eden really knows how to mug for the camera-- wish some of that would rub off on my kids!

After a picnic lunch at the Cradle, we drove up on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a few miles up to Mt. Pisgah. Ruby was thrilled that I let her stand on the other side of the road to snap this picture of Max and I! A lot of the trees were bare and/or snapped. I think that the harsh winter with all that snow and ice must have really taken a toll on the forest. Looks like it will be a long recovery at the higher elevations.

One final photo looking out over the mountains. This picture doesn't really even show how brilliant the green hills looked under that perfect blue sky. We sure are thankful to live in such a beautiful place! Now all we need are some visitors to enjoy it with us!

DuPont with the Johns Family

Way back in May, we had a great time meeting Michael and Julie Johns for a picnic lunch and fun time playing at the base of High Falls with their pups and Bubba. I went to high school with Michael and we've been able to keep in touch a little bit over the years. Michael and Julie live north of Charlotte and were so sweet to drive all the way over for a picnic lunch and some LIGHT hiking!We're so happy to be here in North Carolina now where we're relatively close to quite a few of our friends.

Since this outing, the Johns family has grown to include their

sweet little boy, Asher, born just last week! We're looking forward to meeting him in a month or so after all of the grandparents have had their chance lovin' on him.

Here's a photo of my three favorite people down at the base of High Falls in DuPont State Forest. The path down to the falls is a bit treacherous, but it was really fun once we were down there. Great swimming and wading holes and lots of opportunity to enjoy the cold waterfall spray. There were even some people sliding down a section of the falls, which was fun to see. I'm glad I wasn't one of the ones sliding though---brrrr and ouch!

The rocks were really slippery and Max looked so funny slip sliding along. It's a good thing Jared always had a good hold on him or he would have been down in a flash.

Ruby thought her version of "water skiing" was pretty cool. The water was really moving fast and they all really had a blast!

This may seem out of the blue, and it kind of is, but has anyone out there ever signed me up for "Outdoor Life" magazine? Because I had a subscription show up to my PO Box out of the blue when we moved to Brevard. That one has now ended (thankfully--I'm really not much of a hunter, believe it or not!) and now another mystery magazine subscription has begun--this one to "Backpacker"! I'm a little more excited about this subscription and was really juiced when I read an article about the best places to raise outdoorsy kids. Guess what!? Little old Brevard, NC made the list!! We're #20 out of 30, but still that's pretty cool. Also, Asheville, which is just up the road from us is #11. Yeah!

I suppose I'll end this rambling post with a photo of the title family--Michael and Julie! I didn't get the dogs in, but they were there and very sweet and easy going. Congrats guys on your sweet blessing! We rejoice with you and pray that you get some sleep some time soon!

In parting, I have a bit of sad news to share. I'm sad to say (for those few that don't know) that Bubba had to return to his original family. He had some pretty major separation anxiety issues stemming from the fact that he was never left alone until he came to live with us. How do people live like that?! Anyway, we've decided to hold off on another dog until later in the summer and we'll probably just get a puppy so that we can teach him everything we think he ought to know from the start. So, I'll keep you posted on that.

Moore Cove Falls

Ready for another adventure? I'm finally starting to catch up from my time away, so here are some pics from a hike we took last week to Moore Cove Falls in Pisgah National Forest. After living here for three months, I've learned not to take a sunny day for granted because a whole week of rain is probably right around the corner...

Ruby and Max are starting to come over to the dark side and are actually excited to go on our little adventures now. The only problem they have with our outings is having to drive in the car to get to the the trailhead. They both feel that travel by car is something to be endured, rather than enjoyed. Anyway, this first shot is from a small "cave" along the trail. This is what Ruby does for at least half of each hike-- holding those little binoculars up to eyes and shouting, "Wait, Mommy, I just have to check something out!".

This trail had quite a few footbridges over streams and narrow walkways over wet spots. It was kind of stressful at first to keep Bubba from running the kids off the edge in his haste, but we're starting to get the hang of things a bit better now.

Here's one of the views Ruby needed to "check out". I have to admit, it's quite a beautiful sight!

After our 0.7mi hike, we were rewarded with this beautiful view. I really don't think that the picture does it justice. It was pretty magical finding this in the middle of the forest! The really cool thing about the falls is that you can walk down behind the falls, which is what we did next.

Here's Bubba and the kiddos behind the falls where we ate our picnic lunch. It was a perfect morning that resulted in a restful afternoon with two very pooped kids!

Although there are some things that I miss from living in a bigger town, the payoff is definitely worth it! Ruby and Maxwell are learning to appreciate and wonder at God's beautiful creation. I sure am thankful to be along as their guide.

Triple Falls... and Bubba!

One of the bigger reasons for getting a dog was as a hiking companion for the kids and I. Although I have been taking the kids out, I have been advised by many locals that I really shouldn't go out unless Jared is with us. I've also been advised to carry a gun. Since those two options are pretty much out, we decided it was time to get a can of pepper spray and a dog. That's about the same, right? ;)

So, for the last month or so we've been visiting pet stores and checking listings online for a dog to adopt. Several times, I thought we had found the perfect puppy, but it didn't end up working out. Then, after visiting our friends, the Danfords, who have a 3-4 month old cockapoo we decided that we weren't quite ready for a puppy! A few days later, I saw a listing for Bubba on craigslist. He's a five year old Boxer from a family with three preschoolers. He's great with kids and doesn't bark. And he's house trained! Sounded like a perfect fit and so far it has been pretty great.

Our first hike with Bubba was to Triple Falls in DuPont State Park. It's not a long hike (maybe 1.5 mi round trip), but it's steep! The kids were real champs, but I still felt that I was getting pulled in half by the slowest member of our group on one hand (Max) and the fastest/strongest in my other hand (Bubba). Ruby was a trooper and just powered up that slope like a real pro! The pay-off was worth it for this beautiful view!

We did stop for a quick snack before continuing down to the bottom of the falls. Bubba enjoyed meeting all of the people and pups who passed us while we hung out.

Thankfully, they have a beautiful long staircase leading to the bottom with several benches along the way so the trip down wasn't TOO tough. For scale, look at the people walking around on the rock slab between the two falls!

One last view of Bubba. (Isn't that tail LOOONG? I was thinking Boxer tails were usually docked, but not Bubba, he just wags that thing hard and fast 24-7... it's a bit of nuisance really!)

By the way, we did make it back to the parking area okay, though Bubba was moving like a snail this time (wanting to sniff all the dogs and the scents they'd left along the way). Meanwhile, Ruby was running down the trail with me screaming, "RUBY, SLOW DOWN!" the whole way and Max was fussing that he really needed to be carried. We made it though and had a great time doing it!

Check back soon for pics from our next hike with Bubba!

Hooker Falls

Ruby, Max, and I have been taking advantage of the sunny days to go on short hikes in the area. I thought it would be fun to show you all of the waterfalls that we visit on our travels. Of course many of them are longer hikes than I'll be able to tackle with the kids on my own, but for now there are still quite a few for us to visit.

Here is a view of Hooker Falls in DuPont State Forest. It's a relatively small waterfall that looks like a wonderful swimming hole in warmer weather. The water is relatively show moving in the large pool at the bottom. I'm sure you could easily go up under the falls (if you weren't toting a 2 and 4 year old that is!).

The lighting wasn't on my side, but I thought this side waterfall was the prettiest part.

Ruby and Max can't go far without lots of snacks. We're not doing any endurance treks, but we have fun!

On our way back we stopped along the river to watch folks on the Triple Falls trail. Ruby took LOTS of photos while Max threw rocks in the river. Her favorite subjects are rocks, dirt and people's feet. I must admit, most of those shots hit the recycle bin!

The water is relatively slow here too--looks like another great swimming hole. Now all we need is the warm weather!

We've started calling our little hikes visits to "God's Playground". I have to admit I enjoy this playground a lot more than the man-made ones around town. Just me and my kiddos enjoying creation and learning a little bit about it as we wander. What a beautiful world God has blessed us with!

High Falls

Last Saturday we went on a family outing to Dupont National Forest to visit some waterfalls. Once we got on the trail, however, it was clear that we were maybe going to see ONE waterfall, if we were lucky. The kids had apparently been pushed like miniature iron men all week with all of our strenuous activities and were just not all that keen on hiking. Part of the problem, I'm sure, is that they feel if Daddy is along they have a better chance of being carried. Too bad for them, Daddy sprained his ankle and had a hard time just limping along on his own!

By some miracle, we made it the 0.3mi or so to the covered bridge at the top of High Falls. Daddy and Max enjoyed peering over the edge, Ruby enjoyed resting in the shade (see next photo). The rock at the top was very smooth and looked like it would also be very slippery. I suppose there are still fishermen who love to walk out there, but it was totally off limits for my crew. I even insisted that Max stand back a ways to throw rocks in. He winds up so hard there are times he throws himself in with the rocks. Not a good idea!

Another necessity on the trail for us is a plethora of snack food. If the kids don't have access to peanut butter crackers, gummies, and trail mix, they really feel as if a one mile hike may kill them. We have learned, however, that we must walk with our snacks otherwise we'll spend the whole day sitting around and snacking. Doesn't sound so bad in theory, I suppose, but I'd rather do it in a lounge chair. Not to mention, I'm trying to slim down, not beef up!

Anyhoo, after seeing the top of the falls, we thought the experience would really be incomplete if we didn't see the falls themselves, so we took a bit of a short cut to get down to the real view. The kids were somewhat revived after the covered bridge stop and managed to carry on.

We did stop once again for a photo op on an old stump...

I thought this photo of Max and Jared was just adorable! They were having a great time together, as always.

We also saw many families and dogs on the trail, a source of great excitement and amusement for Max, who spent most of the day shouting, "Buppy! Buppy!".

A puppy, or dog, has been on all of our minds of late. We're closing on our house in less than a

week and are starting to think that we really would like to have a dog. Not just because it would be fun (and a lot of work, I know!), but also for some protection when hiking. Many people have been telling us that they don't think I ought to hike with the kids on my own. They suggest that I only go when Jared can come along and that we should carry a gun. The whole thing just seems a little bit ridiculous to me. I want to be outside with the kids. It's one of the main reasons we moved here and we aren't going to give it up. So, we've decided to start pup hunting and I'll also carry a can of bear mace from now on... just in case.

And now, finally, we have reached the viewing area! I took several useless videos of guys sliding down the left side of the falls. Let me tell you. If I thought Sliding Rock looked scary, this is 100 times worse! I do hope that Jared has some friends come to visit this summer that will be willing to slide with him because I'm sure he'd have a hoot. The kids and I will stay on shore and take pictures.

It's drier that way. And safer. And warmer.

Check back to tomorrow for more adventures!

Pisgah National Forest

Last week, as I mentioned, we had a lot of nice days (yea spring!!). So, I spent a few of them out in the woods with the kids. Here are some photos from our Tuesday trip...

Our first stop of the morning was the ranger station to pick up a map. We ended up taking the nature trail right behind the station, which is a loop ~0.7mi. Max got very excited when he spotted this hollowed out tree. I think it was actually still alive! He crawled in there and I just had to snap a picture!

One of the scarier parts of the trail (for me) was going over this suspension bridge. I was just praying that no one would slip through the wires. We were definitely swinging around some.... eeks!

The kids, however, were not frightened in the least and just snacked their way across the bridge!

My good little hikers.

We also went up to Looking Glass Falls and Sliding Rock. You can see the railing on the left hand side of the photo where people line up to slide down the falls during warmer weather. The pool at the bottom is 8 feet deep and they do have lifeguards during the summer. Even so, it looks pretty wild to me!

Coming up next... photos from the fish hatchery!