Alston's First Hike

 

I'm only mildly outdoorsy, but somehow I was gifted these two little girls who are wannabe woodland fairies. If it's above freezing (and sometimes when it's not), Harper and Willa want to be outside. So, last year, we started hiking some of the local trails. We do all these cool things while we travel, but we've had to become more intentional about enjoying the touristy things right here in our backyard like the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Roanoke River Greenway, and the Appalachian Trail. That combined with being committed to giving our kids plenty of unplugged time equals more family outside time. 

And so now, Sam likes preaching the gospel of the trail. A few weeks ago, we hiked with the Quesenberry family. This week's victim, Corrie and Alston!

 

It was only in the 40s this weekend, but it was super (deceivingly) sunny and we had NOTHING PLANNED for Saturday, so a family hike sounded like a great fit (to Sam and the girls. I like my outdoors above 50 degrees. 😊). 

Corrie decided to brave it with two-year-old Alston, and Sam was so proud. We started off by taking a look at one of the dams where Sam works, so we hiked down to the river from the parkway and let the kiddos skip stones  and climb along the river rocks. 

 

 

 

 

We climbed all the stairs back up to the lookout, and hopped back in the car to head out to Explore Park. They have an assortment of beginner trails, and we randomly chose the River Walk to set out on an easy 2 miles. 

 

 

The end of the trail had a little picnic area and a great view of the river, so we let the kiddos run around and give us grey hair by playing near the river. 😳

 

 

Since McAfee's Knob, Cascades, and Roaring Run, Harper looked at the river and said, "But, where's the waterfall!?"  Ha. She's gotten a little spoiled on the trail end payoff. 

But, at the end of the day, we go home with tired, hungry, sometimes cold little girls. But, they're also happy and fulfilled. So, off to pick to the next trail...