Enjoying Nature - Waterfalls and Mountain Tops
I love being outside in the summertime. The warm feeling of the sun on my face; the slightly sticky feeling of a mildly humid day; and, the multitude of fun and healthy things to do with family and friends. I really enjoy going hiking, and I wish I made time to do it more often. When I was a younger man, I went hiking and rock climbing every week. Now that I’m older, I tend to let a lot of excuses get in the way of this passion. Not today though!
My daughter Chani and I took a 10 mile hike today, up in the Catoctin Mountains near Camp David. We’ve been there many times before, but we never hiked this distance in the past. Admittedly, I originally planned for us to hike about 5 miles, but I zigged when I should have zagged and we ended up taking the long way back to the car after reaching the halfway point. Chani was thrilled 
It gave us the opportunity to explore, exercise and discover things in the state park that we had never seen before, and when we got to the top of the mountain, the view was simply majestic. They say you can see three states from the point known as Hog Rock. Unfortunately, the sun was setting and our camera phones couldn’t get a good picture from the top.
We did manage to get some fun pictures while at Cunningham Falls though, so I thought I’d share them with you:
Chani enjoyed dipping her feet in the water after hiking the first 3 miles and climbing up the falls.
Here’s a picture of me after climbing down from the falls and back on the viewing deck.
Chani sitting on the edge of the viewing deck for one last minute of rest before we headed up the mountain to Hog Rock.
Here’s a picture of me and Chani at the very top of the waterfalls. We asked a fellow hiker to take our picture, and she did a great job. We always seem to meet nice people when out hiking.
We spent a little more than two hours hiking, climbing and exploring, and even though we were both getting sore and tired toward the end, we had a great time! It was one of the most fun days I’ve had with Chani this summer, although I may have a hard time walking around tomorrow
Do you like to go hiking with your family or kids? Any favorite spots or experiences you’d like to share? Leave a comment - I’d love to hear about it!
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Comment by Bee Repartee on 16 July 2008:
I love to take a day and hike around Crown Point in Oregon with the family. The view is commandingly breathtaking. Multnomah Falls and The Ape Caves near Mt St. Helen’s are great places to go, too. Pack and lunch and have a day of it.
Loved hearing of your outing….I think our daughters are about the same age.
Bee Repartees latest discovery was..Gimme A Smooch
Comment by Dad of Divas on 16 July 2008:
Ah the things we do to b there and present for our kids…it looks like you and Chani had a wonderful time together. I commend you for spending the time and being there for her as you can truly see the joy in her face (Which you don’t always see in a teenagers face)!
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Comment by John on 16 July 2008:
Sounds like a great time! Chani looks like she had fun. I love hiking. The best hike I went on was when I was spending a semester in Austria. Our campus was literally nestled in the Alps. One Saturday, I got up at 5:00am and took a train to a town about 40 miles away on the other side of a national park. I walked from 6:30am until late in the evening. It was amazing! Waterfalls, canyons, mountains…makes me sad to be sitting at a desk right now!
Johns latest discovery was..Manival Time!
Comment by Matt on 16 July 2008:
Looks awesome! I love those kinds of days myself. You know, you are right. My wife and I camp a lot and usually do some hiking whenever we go. I don’t think I have ever met anyone I didn’t like when on our trips…the people who are in to that sort of thing just seem to have common interests, and are never stressed out or angry.
Comment by Tyler @ Building Camelot on 16 July 2008:
Nice pictures! I miss the little bit of hiking I did before Olivia was born. Living in Memphis you have to drive at least 4 hours to get to any place worth hiking. But I love everything about the Appalachian mountain range…it’s always so beautiful and majestic.
Tyler @ Building Camelots latest discovery was..Pregnancy Weeks 36: Dehydration And Early Contractions
Comment by Jeremy on 16 July 2008:
There’s just something natural and refreshing about getting out in the woods. I’ve got to get back into this hobby.
Comment by Kevin T. on 16 July 2008:
Looks like you had a great time. The scenery in your pics looks a lot like the North Shore of Lake Superior here in MN. My wife and I were up there hiking last fall and I’d love to take our daughter there someday. We’ll have to wait awhile, though, because I don’t think carrying a 16 lb. five-month old would be quite the same experience!
Comment by Lance on 16 July 2008:
Looks like a great place to hike!
We do get out hiking when we can. It’s nice that we have a couple of state parks near us. Another thing we’ve done is geocaching, which all of the kids like, and really makes the hike kind of an adventure sometimes.
Lances latest discovery was..The Speed Limit of Your Life
Comment by Ed (zoesdad) on 16 July 2008:
Our hikes are usually across the bridge and to the ice cream shop–it’s rigorous a 10 minute jaunt. But well worth the effort!
Comment by Jeremy on 16 July 2008:
I’ve heard from others that geocaching is fun, but we’ve never done it. Great suggestion - thanks!
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