Yesterday's beach had many small rocks and no shells. Today there were a few large rocks and still no shells. The Mayflower landed not too far from here and I can't help but wonder what the Pilgrims thought when seeing these shores.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Breakwater beach
Today Emily and I took the kids to Brewster and Breakwater beach. First we walked to a general store that has been there since before the Civil war, then walked down to the beach.
Sandy Neck hike
No baby yet, but we are making the most of our time with Sarah and Josiah . Yesterday we went to Sandy Neck beach, near Sandwich . We did a short hike along the backside of the sand dunes , viewed the marsh, followed a trail over the dunes and ended up at the beach. The trail was very deep sand in spots and was difficult to walk through. Both kids were troopers and I am very proud of the way they persevered! The view of the beach from the top of the dune was worth it!
Saturday, August 23, 2014
Crib Gap Trail, Rich Mountain Loop to John Oliver Cabin
August 12, 2014
We did these two shorter hikes with our friends John and Alice. It started out as a drippy but warm day, and we soon shed our rain gear.
We left one car at the trail end, and drove the other one to the Cades Cove picnic area where the trail begins. By doing it this way, it was "downhill all the way" to the car. No views to speak of but it was a nice woodsy walk.
After finding the car and eating lunch back at the picnic area, we decided to hike to John Oliver's cabin. This is one of the early settlers cabins and it has been preserved by the National park service. Although I've visited this cabin before , I am always fascinated by how the early white settlers lived.
Total miles 4.8
We did these two shorter hikes with our friends John and Alice. It started out as a drippy but warm day, and we soon shed our rain gear.
We left one car at the trail end, and drove the other one to the Cades Cove picnic area where the trail begins. By doing it this way, it was "downhill all the way" to the car. No views to speak of but it was a nice woodsy walk.
After finding the car and eating lunch back at the picnic area, we decided to hike to John Oliver's cabin. This is one of the early settlers cabins and it has been preserved by the National park service. Although I've visited this cabin before , I am always fascinated by how the early white settlers lived.
Total miles 4.8
Beach Day
We arrived at our son's home on Cape Cod Thursday at await the arrival of our newest grandchild . Until Sister Baby makes her appearance we are having a great time with Sarah and Josiah. The weather is beautifully cool and we are enjoying our time here. Today we went to the beach. Although the water was was quite chilly by my standards, many people were enjoying it. We collected shells, played in the sand and enjoyed the day. Then we all went for ice cream at http://www.fourseasicecream.com. If you're ever on Cape Cod, definitely make time for this place!
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Rabbit creek Hike
August 7, 2014
None of our usual hiking companions were available, so Steve and I decided to go it alone today. We went to Abrams Falls Campground , and hiked an 8.6 mile loop consisting of Rabbit Creek, Hatcher Mountain, Little Bottoms and Cooper Road Trails. This is in a more isolated area of the park, and even though the trailhead is close to us as the crow flies, it is about a 40 mile drive.
I have to say, this was one tough hike! It starts out easy, along Abrams creek, with a nice footbridge for crossing. Then it climbs steadily uphill for a couple of miles. We did find some wonderful ripe blueberries/huckleberries to snack on and kept a wary eye out for bears. We took a break at the junction with Hatcher Mtn. Trail, then continued back down to Abrams Creek. This was the crossing we were warned about! The water turned out to only be about knee deep, but there was no bridge or rocks to aid in the crossing. I was so hot and sweaty at that point that I would have swam across. That cold water felt good and we sat with our feet in it for a while.
We continued up Little Bottom Trail, which had many ups and downs. It was a hot day, and part of this area was affected by the tornado that went through 2 summers, so the trees(and shade!) were gone. I was getting very hot and tired , and then I heard Steve say, "Vicky , stop!". Up in the trail ahead of us was a bear, and he had gotten into a wild honeycomb! The bear scampered off before I saw him, but there were bees everywhere! We had to go off trail to get around, and I made sure I knew where my epipen was! Shortly after, we reached Cooper Road Trail which was shady and relatively level and that led us back to the car.
That morning I put a cooler with some cold drinks and snacks in the car, so that was waiting for us when we got back. Those Cokes sure tasted good!
None of our usual hiking companions were available, so Steve and I decided to go it alone today. We went to Abrams Falls Campground , and hiked an 8.6 mile loop consisting of Rabbit Creek, Hatcher Mountain, Little Bottoms and Cooper Road Trails. This is in a more isolated area of the park, and even though the trailhead is close to us as the crow flies, it is about a 40 mile drive.
I have to say, this was one tough hike! It starts out easy, along Abrams creek, with a nice footbridge for crossing. Then it climbs steadily uphill for a couple of miles. We did find some wonderful ripe blueberries/huckleberries to snack on and kept a wary eye out for bears. We took a break at the junction with Hatcher Mtn. Trail, then continued back down to Abrams Creek. This was the crossing we were warned about! The water turned out to only be about knee deep, but there was no bridge or rocks to aid in the crossing. I was so hot and sweaty at that point that I would have swam across. That cold water felt good and we sat with our feet in it for a while.
We continued up Little Bottom Trail, which had many ups and downs. It was a hot day, and part of this area was affected by the tornado that went through 2 summers, so the trees(and shade!) were gone. I was getting very hot and tired , and then I heard Steve say, "Vicky , stop!". Up in the trail ahead of us was a bear, and he had gotten into a wild honeycomb! The bear scampered off before I saw him, but there were bees everywhere! We had to go off trail to get around, and I made sure I knew where my epipen was! Shortly after, we reached Cooper Road Trail which was shady and relatively level and that led us back to the car.
That morning I put a cooler with some cold drinks and snacks in the car, so that was waiting for us when we got back. Those Cokes sure tasted good!
Back again!
Wow, it has been a long long time since I have posted anything. Not for lack of material, but life does get in the way sometimes and personally I would rather live life then write about it. This is my attempt to do both.
One of my goals for this blog is to document the hikes we often take. So we will start there...
August 5, 2014
My birthday, and we celebrated by hiking with our friend Hank to Grotto falls outside of Gatlinburg , TN and continued on past the falls to the junction of Brushy mountain trail. Trillium Gap trail to the falls is very heavily used, and occasionally you might see the llamas used to carry supplies up to Mt LeConte lodge. We didn't see any, but saw their "calling cards" which resulted in a very interesting "Who pooped in the park?"conversation with the grands.
After the falls, use of the trail drops off, and we saw fewer people. We hiked to the junction of Brushy Mountain trail, and could have continued to Mt LeConte if we were so inclined. On the way back we saw a bear high up in tree. It was completely unconcerned with the folks trying to take pictures and settled down for a nap.
One of my goals for this blog is to document the hikes we often take. So we will start there...
August 5, 2014
My birthday, and we celebrated by hiking with our friend Hank to Grotto falls outside of Gatlinburg , TN and continued on past the falls to the junction of Brushy mountain trail. Trillium Gap trail to the falls is very heavily used, and occasionally you might see the llamas used to carry supplies up to Mt LeConte lodge. We didn't see any, but saw their "calling cards" which resulted in a very interesting "Who pooped in the park?"conversation with the grands.
After the falls, use of the trail drops off, and we saw fewer people. We hiked to the junction of Brushy Mountain trail, and could have continued to Mt LeConte if we were so inclined. On the way back we saw a bear high up in tree. It was completely unconcerned with the folks trying to take pictures and settled down for a nap.
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