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A Hike in William B Umstead State Park
Our Hike, marked in Red Crayon On New Year’s Day the weather was amazing, so we took an impromptu hike with friends in William B. Umstead State Park. We forged our own path and traveled along Sal’s Branch for awhile before cutting down through the woods, across the power lines and down to the rim of Big Lake. We worked our way down to the boat ramp, across the junction between the two lakes, and then back into the woods beside Sycamore…
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Whitetop to Beech Mountain
Every year we alternate which side of the family we spend Thanksgiving with. This year it was the Rollins side, and Mom and Dad wanted to meet up in Whitetop, VA rather than Chattanooga, TN. My parents rented a second place down 58 and had my brother and our families stay at their place on Pond Mountain. My sister has been going hard since having her third baby girl this past summer, so she and her family stayed back in…
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Death Canyon Hike and the Mangy Moose
After the horseback ride, we waffled back and forth over which hike we should do. A friend had told Joe that Death Canyon Patrol Cabin hike was beautiful, but it was close to 8 miles with a lot of elevation change. So he had found a “meh” trail. I don’t even remember the name of it, but it was south of the park and looked easy. (Side note: Joe is a hiker. He’s like a frigging mountain goat when he…
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Stone Mountain State Park
Friday we probably set record time packing for a family camping trip. Once you have been on several trips and are resigned to the fact that your car is indeed too small for much more than a few creature comforts, packing for tent camping becomes simple. That morning I ran to Walmart for hot dogs and other camp food, table cloth clips, and I.C.E. whistles (because I’m a sucker like that). Joe came home around 12:20 pm, and by then…
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Raven Rock State Park
This past weekend, Joe and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary. At the pool this evening, a friend asked me if we had done anything, and before I could answer, the kids chimed in, “Yes, we did! We had fireworks with friends and went hiking …” We gave each other knowing looks. In kids’ minds, “we” is all of us. On Saturday, we went hiking at Raven Rock State Park. It was Joe’s idea, and we had just bought ourselves…
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Hanging Rock Nature Photos
This past weekend we drove up to Hanging Rock for a quickie camping trip. The very best part of the trip was watching the boys explore the woods and climb rocks and fallen trees. I found myself really wishing other families were with us to play with. Some of my best childhood memories are from camping with family friends at Fall Creek Falls. On Saturday, the weather was perfect, and we somehow managed to make it to two waterfalls and up to…
