Hiking to Bear's Den

Yesterday we took a couple hours to hike up to Bear's Den, off the Appalachian trail. This was the first time doing an actual hike with the kids, although, if you notice Trevor's Crocs (Crocs have to be the world's most hideously UGLY shoe) and Ariel's sandals, we didn't realize how much of a hike it would be. It was a ton of fun, though! And the kids did awesome- lots of uphill clambering over rocks.


We put the timer on for this picture. I think Ray got shy and hid behind Trevor. heh. We're in the parking lot before heading up.


TONS of blackberries along the parking lot. We picked lots.


A beetle we saw. We kept having to tell Rachael NOT to pick up the bugs. She picked up some sort of cricket/grasshopper bug at one point and it bit/stung her. She exclaimed "It BIT me!" and not 5 minutes later tried to pick up another one she saw. Yes, this is the child who, at 18 months was so scared of bugs we spent the summer inside because everytime we went outside she FREAKED at the gnats and flies and ants.


Butterfly that landed on my shoe at one point.


The moss was absolutely thrilling.


Finally at the top. Ray is helping Rachael leap across the rock. I am taking the picture and trying not to be a nervous wreck. The drop off the rocks is almost 90 degrees and straight down the mountain (trees might have stopped them about 30 feet down).


Daddy, Trevor and Rachael. Ariel is back with me having a fit because SHE wants the opportunity to scare me over on the rock with daddy.


Ray helping Miss Ariel, who always gets her way, across. It kind of looks like he is flinging her to her death. I am probably holding my breath as I take this picture.


A rare moment of not being silly. Trevor meditating upon the wonderful view.


Rachael climbing a tree.


Kids on the rocks.... no salt.


Trevor walking through a set of rocks. There were daddy long legs EVERYWHERE. Trevor was a little nervous one would crawl on him. I was glad I wore tennis shoes and when I wasn't freaking out the kids would fall down the mountain, I was keeping an eye out for montserous daddy long legs. OMG, I am just a wreck. But, thankfully, as my anxiety can't actually keep up for that long, by the time we got up to Bear's Den, I was much calmer. On the way down, I could actually walk without being twitchy! Go me. Maybe that's how to overcome arachniphobia.

All in all, it was a great hike. We're definitely going to look for more hikes like this one. The kids got tired about halfway down. Ariel needed to be carried and Rachael just cried and walked. But otherwise everyone had a blast!