Humpback Hike

What a day!  What a few days really.

We have chosen to do a local variety of activities for the 4th this year.  The boys have been out of school for a week and a half, and Lesley an I have planned work to be as light as possible.  We have basically gone to the pool a bunch, stayed up and slept late, we have been able to go on runs, Alder's going to Tae Kwan Do classes, boys caught a movie on one rainy day, and on another rainy day (having had no shortage of rain this spring/summer), we built a space ship (fort) in the front room - control panel, handheld controls, sleeping cabin and all.  Then, we got a great visit from cousin Jonah, Uncle Travis and Aunt Ana (of which we somehow got no pics.  Maybe Trav and Ana have some??).  That included a pool visit, cooking out and some fireworks.  Cousin Jonah is catching up to these Bulluck boys quickly!

But today was the grand finale.  We headed up to Humpback Rocks, a popular, but well-worth hike right off Skyline drive.    We made it to the trailhead by 10 am, and our boys hung in there, strong, with only a little complaining for a 4-mile hike.  The first mile was a rather steep mile up to the rocks.

But there was enough to keep it exciting until we got there - various blooming wildflowers, which Lesley and I recalled enough (from our former lives as naturalists in the southern Apps) to tell them about, insects, rock outcrops, little caves, springs...

I love the look on Heath's face here.

And Alder's here...

Then we got to the top for a breathtaking view, with few clouds and dry air.  We talked about being on top of the world and seeing it until the earth curved away from us.  After a slightly nerve-fraying picnic with the boys, we headed down.  They just wanted to go the very very edge to see what more they could see and we finally couldn't take it any more.     Unforgettable, without question.  Once we got away from the cliffs, the boys wanted to climb climb climb on other boulders.

To make the hike longer and to get away from the crowds, we took a section fo the AT back, making it a 4 mile hike, where the final 3 were mostly downhill.  Again, these boys were troopers.  We moved slowly, but we made our way.  Alder couldn't count all the animals we saw on all his fingers and toes...

We got our first very basic lessons with map and a compass.  And, we took snacks to break up the trek with some energy bursts.

Lots of discovery.  For a mile or so, Heath was swaddling a rock and cradling it along the way...

Then he found other rock fragments to sharpen as weapons.  Alder was collecitng rocks shaped like various U.S. states, and we eventually convinced him that he needn't carry them all.  Rocks got picked up, dropped, displaced all along the way.  Millipedes, caterpillars, butterfuly eggs, ant nests...

A rare opportunity - "Daddy, take a picture of me, just my face."  (okay)

"Me too."  (okay!)  (Heath actually pooped in the woods with no problem at all.  Very nice!)

Then we see a patch of squawroot somewhat mutilated, and we talked about how bear love it, and we suspected that a bear was the cause of this patch of squawroot's destruction.  Alder asks if bear are around there, and we tell him (again) that 'yes, but they are pretty scared of people, so we likely wont see one'.   Then I look up and right there 30 meters in front of me, a black bear heading downslope.  A young one.  So I turn, tell Lesley and Alder to shh and look, then run back up trail to grab Heath.  And luckily this young one was alone.  I put Heath down, we walked calmly, slowly closer, and we all got to watch it quite closely for several minutes, foraging, and watching/sniffing us.

We got as close as we wanted (no zoom lens here).  This was the perfect first bear experience for the boys.  Just perfect.  It was a peaceful introduction.  After awhile, it scampered off, and we keep walking.  Perfect.

We love how EVERY time we go for a hike, the boys are so excited, then they get tired and feel the work, then they finish and can't stop talking about how cool it was.  This is what we want time in the woods to be like.  This is why we love a day in the forest.  There is unmatched reward in getting away from everything and finding moments and places just for yourself, or just for us.   What a promise that you can leave the structure and schedule, find the away-ness, and know that some...thing, some feeling, some realization will emerge that is remarkable.   It is a beautiful thing to see a young mind realizing this too.