This weekend we headed to the Blue Ridge mountains to camp for the weekend. Hiking was on our to-do list but other than that we just planned to take it easy and have fun just enjoying nature. We were able to leave around noon on Friday which was great because it takes about 3 hours and 45 minutes to get there!
loaded down!
A small chance of rain was in the forecast so we didn't worry too much about it. We arrived and it was still daylight so we planned to get our tent set up and then be able to cook some hotdogs over the fire and relax. But about the time that we got the tent set up, the chairs out of the car and the backpack with all the tools, the bottom fell out! It started raining so hard and wouldn't stop. We tried to salvage some things that werent yet wet especially some wood because we had already started our fire! We sat in the car and then a woman pulled into the campground with 2 flat tires. Of course my husband, being the man that he is, got out and tried to help her. The rain slacked a little bit so I decided to try to get our blankets and sleeping bags in the tent and start airing up Walker's air mattress. So anyway, Walker and I basically set up camp while my husband was still helping fix a car :)
We didn't get to eat and sit by the fire until about 9:00 that night so we were worn out! That night while we slept it poured down rain! I was so scared that our tent was going to collapse but it held up really well! Thank you, Lord!
The next morning we cooked some coffee, bacon and eggs over the fire.
Walker played in his pajamas!
our tent site was right beside this river. normally I don't sleep very good while camping but this river totally put me to sleep every night!
After breakfast and actually getting a chance in the day light to set more things up around our campsite, we headed out on our hike to Crabtree Falls. It's a beautiful waterfall and all the way up the trail you have really pretty views so even if you don't go all the way to the top (which we didn't) you still get pretty views. It's not a long trail, just really steep and it just wasn't the safest for an adventurous 5 year old who is not happy unless he is hiking off the trail! And he was walking so he tired out about a half a mile into our hike.
We stopped about .7 miles into it for lunch. It was a perfect place because it was a flat part of the waterfall and the water was calm and kind of pooled in between all of these limbs. We ate lunch and Walker enjoyed playing in the water.
I love seeing him enjoying nature!
he dug in this hole for at least 45 minutes!
I saw multiple hearts in nature. Always reminds me of the verse "the Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
he found a bug...
Walker brought me this rock.
more hearts...
My guys on the way back down...Walker was tired!
Dad had to give him a ride on the way down!
there was a little playgroud at our campground that we explored when we got back from hiking.
Walker found a caterpillar and put it in my tupperware bowl to "take home"
-he named him "Leaf" and I'm sorry to report that Leaf is now in heaven (dead) and Walker says that Isaiah is playing with him :)
he had his own little trail that he named "lovely trail" at our campsite. It had a log for him to sit on so him and leaf would "hike it" and then "relax" on the log! (check out that sunbeam coming across the photo!)
this was our little campsite.
Walker was out by 7:00 that night so me and my hubby were able to sit by the fire and talk! It was a sweet time!
We woke up Sunday morning with all intentions of driving up to Shenandoah National Park (about and hour and a half away) but when we got to I-64 we just decided to come on home because we were all so tired!
We had a great trip! I loved the campground. It was very quaint and rugged but it also had a toilet and a bathhouse so it was a great compromise between me and my husband! The owners are so friendly and I loved our campsite. We will probably make this a yearly tradition. Next Year, we may wait until mid-late October so that we can see more fall colors!
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