Took a walk with two of my boys in Shenandoah National Park. We hiked part of the Appalachian trail (bucket list) and saw lots and lots of beautiful things. We had some trouble spots, after we hiked the wrong way and had to double-back, and the littlest legs got very tired. In true middle child fashion, Dash tried to make everyone happy and ended up boosting Atticus's energy so we could make it to the lookout. He actually promised Atticus ice cream if he completed the hike. That sounded good to me, so I kept quiet. We found every color of the rainbow, except blue, which we knew was in the sky, but we couldn't see because there were so many clouds. The clouds came over the trial, and the boys loved to try and run through them.
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| Red |
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| orange |
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| yellow |
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| green |
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| purple |
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| Atticus called this a fairy table |
I find my self most at peace when I am hiking. I was so excited to come today, I was like a child going to a candy store. The smell of the woods was rich with fall smells, and we breathed in clean air as we walked. There was not much human noise, no planes, and we only heard cars when we were near the trail head. We did pass some hikers, but not many, and they were quiet. I did have to ask Dash to keep it down when he wanted to sing "Yes we got no bananas!" at the top of his lungs, over and over. I understood he was excited, and could not contain his happiness of being in the woods. We all have different ways of expressing our cups running over.
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| squeezing through some big rocks |
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| Dash passing some energy along, helping Attie feel better... |
Dash always wants everyone to be happy, and works to sooth conflict and unhappiness. But he rarely is moody, like his brothers. Dash is pretty even steven. I remember that even as a baby, he went with the flow. Today, he met our goal, and he did it with grace, compassion, compromise, and cooperation.
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| WE MADE IT! elevation, 4011 feet |
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| There were some climbers! (dont untie those ropes boys!) |
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| couldn't resist the pool of freezing water |
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| colors just starting to turn |
This was so high up, and we were so close to the edge, I got a mini panic attack. I could only stay up here for a few minutes, as I am afraid of heights, especially when my children are there. I seem to think they might just run off the edge, or slip, and I would have to go after them... Seeing those climbers cables sent me over the edge, pun intended. I thought how those little thin ropes around that rock is all that is keeping them from falling...Panic! What if someone didn't know what those were, and messed with them!! and then I realized I needed to go. I told the boys (in a very non-calm voice) it was time to back away from the cliff and head back down the trail!
Luckily as soon as we were deep in the woods again, I forgot all about this moment-until I looked at the pictures! Even looking at the pictures makes my bones hurt a little and my heart feel weak.
When we came home, it was dinner time, and of course we headed for the ice cream store. Then, after the ice cream, we had dinner in front of a Winnie the Pooh (perfect for my VERY sensitive boys!). The boys almost never get to eat and watch a movie, so it was all very special! I kinda felt we earned it...
