We all slept in this morning since we'd all covered our heads to keep warm. We made some gouda grits for breakfast and got ready for a big hike. I invited everyone to climb Sharp Top Mountain with me but I only got one taker.
After we bought tickets for the bus for everyone else, we started up the mountain. It was to be 1.5 miles of a strenuous climb to the top. My partner climbed like a champ and impressed quite a few of the hikers we passed.
At one point we were snaking around some large boulders when I heard a sneeze ahead of us. I said, "Bless you!" ahead and kept walking. Then as we came to a small opening around a big boulder we saw a beautiful, sweet little deer enjoying the vegetation. She kept her eye on us but let Ryan take quite a few pictures and we let her be after a little while to keep going up. We never did see a human around us, so maybe I blessed the deer after her sneeze?
The last 500 feet were the toughest with steps as far as you could see to a turn and then another set as far as you could see. But before we knew it we saw Brayden peeking over a rock and we were at the top! We exchanged wildlife stories (they'd seen baby birds and a bear) and explored all around the top.
See turtle rock?
There were remnants of a fire in one area and I entertained the idea of sleeping on the top of the mountain some day. There was a shelter with a fireplace that I thought would be perfect with a few down sleeping bags. And to wake up to a sunset up there would be absolutely breathtaking!!
I was trading partners for the hike down so Ryan gave Laney her backpack and we headed to the trail. On the way up there was a side trail to Buzzard's Roost that we'd seen from up to so Laney and I headed that way for a quick look. It wasn't near as spectacular as the top so we kept on moving down. We encouraged everyone on their way up and were shocked when we were passed by someone running down. We were having problems staying stable just walking down!
Ryan showed me the baby birds in the nest once we got back down. I'm not sure how four babies fit in the nest but they seemed happy except for us watching them!
Evey was itching to get back down to the creek so we make a quick picnic lunch and walked down. There was a lake below us at the lodge so we found a trail through the campground and walked to the lake. The creek was fed by the lake so we make it there without too much trouble.
The kids weren't up for much exploring today as they mostly played on top of a giant rock. We'd been talking about hearing bullfrogs at night so Evey decided she needed to catch one. I found a spot of sun to warm up in while they all hunted around. When I came back there had been a sighting and there were all kinds of plans being made to catch him. Lucky for him he was much quicker than they were evading them 3 or 4 times.
The kids and I checked out a building we'd heard about at the farm the day before. It was called Polly's Ordinary and was a stop for travelers and teamsters along the mountains for "ordinary" things like food, horse corral, and lodging. This place would absolutely qualify as a tiny house these days. I'm not sure how she fit more than a few extra people in there!
When we went to leave he was back at his sot so Ryan tried to catch him. He swam right by her under a rock and when she tried to grab him from there he shot out and back into the deeper water. No luck today!
We all came back to the campground and settled down to read for awhile. I taught Laney how to play backgammon and all the Clarke kids played 3Up 3Down several times before I finally decided to make dinner. Once the site was clean we headed back down to the lake to walk the trail around.
It was getting cooler and the sun was just about to hide behind the mountain. We've been seeing this pitcher-type plant on our hikes and can't quite figure out what it is. We're hopeful a ranger will know when we see one.
Around the last bend of the trail the kids spotted a giant hill that had just been mowed and they were rolling down before I even got there. They ran down and rolled down for the better part of a half our while I watched the sun dip below the trees.
Staying in the middle of the mountains means this is about the best I can get for a sunset picture here. The lake was beautiful tonight!
There was a man fishing at the lake that had caught his third fish since we'd been there as we were leaving so the kids popped down to check it out. I was exhausted after this day but I faithfully read a chapter from our book before we were all knocked out.
That plants is called a jack-in-the-pulpit. If you lift up the large leaf, the stamen looks like a person standing in a pulpit. They are all over the woods at my folks' place!
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