Summer 2017 Camping Trip - Day 2

The second day of our trip started with kayaking.  We haven't gotten our boats out since before Carter was born.  Pathetic, we know.  We decided to let Carter paddle Brian's boat, I'd paddle my own, and then we rented a sit-on top that can hold 3 people for Brian, Rylan, and Gray to use.  It worked out perfectly.

Carter was so excited to have his own boat!

The Corona Feelfree we rented was really nice.  Gray even fell asleep sitting up in it for a little bit!

There are a ton of little island to paddle around and explore.  And since we got out early on a Sunday, there was very little boat traffic.

We saw a few rope swings and finally stopped at this one to play.

And then we stopped at a small beach and let Gray get into the water too.

Carter did so well paddling his own boat.  On the way back we were going upstream and into the wind so I attached a tow line between our boats to help him out a little bit.

We had so much fun kayaking and it's something the boys still talk about.

After lunch we did another hike.  This time to Laurel Falls in Laurel-Snow State Natural Area.  Again though we didn't make it to our final destination.  It's 2.4 miles one-way to Laurel Falls.  At 1.7 miles, the trail splits (the left goes to Snow Falls and the right to Laurel Falls).  At this point, the trail starts following Laurel Creek.  Unfortunately a bridge here had been washed out and a lot of trees were down.  It was impossible to find any trail markings.  We explored up the creek for awhile but eventually decided it was getting too late and we should head back.

The entrance to Richland Mine.  This is an old coal mine and though it is ungated, it's noted that it's not safe to explore.

The beginning of the hike was a trail above Richland Creek.

Looking for trail markings along Laurel Creek ...

On the way back my hiking boot decided it was done.  Brian cut off the sole for me and luckily the bottom of the boot underneath the tread did fine for the hike (even with Gray on my back).

We got the hammocks out when we got back to camp and made dinner.

We returned to the little beach in the campground and let the boys play in the water as the sun went down.

Another beautiful night!

Summer 2017 Camping Trip - Day 1

I never posted about the trip we took right before school started LAST year.  So, here it is!  I'm sure I've forgotten a lot of details by now but there are still some cool pictures to share.

We planned a four-day trip to Tennessee and Georgia and camped three nights.

We headed out bright and early on Saturday, July 29th, 2017.  Our min-van never looked so cool!

Our first stop was a short detour on our drive down to Chattanooga.  We hiked to Foster Falls in South Cumberland State Park.  It's a short hike from the parking area down to the base of the falls.  If you continue past the falls, there is a popular climbing area.  With it being such a short hike, we carried Gray instead of getting out the backpack.  It's a beautiful wooded trail down to a swinging bridge that takes you to the pool below the falls.

The morning light through the trees was beautiful!

The view from the trailhead ...

Rylan, Carter, and I took another trail from the parking lot along the rim of the canyon and found a letterbox along the trail.

After our hike, we got back in the car and continued on to Signal Mountain in the Chattanooga area.  We ate a picnic lunch at the Signal Point Trailhead. 

Our plan was to hike from the Signal Point Trailhead to Edward's Point and back (which would have been about 6 miles round-trip).  The trail ended up being much rockier than we expected and the poison ivy was ridiculous.  The trail was very narrow and avoiding the poison ivy took a lot of work.  And it was hot.  So ... we made it to the Middle Creek Bridge at 1.4 miles and then took a different trail back to the trailhead to make a loop.  It was the best choice for the boys too who we weren't sure could make it six miles that day (Gray was on my back in the backpack).

We took a break at Middle Creek Bridge to assess and change our route.  Gray got some time to explore out of the backpack.

Luckily Gray always does great in the backpack!

The boys were pooped but it was still not terribly late so we got drinks from Sonic and went down to Coolidge Park on the Tennessee River (in downtown Chattanooga). 

After an hour or so we headed to our campsite for the next two nights.  We stayed at Harrison Bay State Park.  This was the view of the lake from a few steps down from our campsite.

Our campsite ...

And 4-person backpacking tent (for 5 people).

After setting up camp and eating dinner, we drove down to the "beach" area and let the boys run around at the water's edge.  There was a beautiful sunset to enjoy!

Once it was dark, we went back to the campsite and went to bed!

Butterfly Watercolor

Baseball games were canceled last night due to storms so we finally found some time to paint again!

Rylan:

 Carter:

Meghan: