www.gastateparks.org/info/amicalola/
Looking back on it, I feel kinda bad that while all of my girls' friends got to go to the beach, their nerd of a mother was dragging them out into the wilderness without a cell phone on a long weekend hiking trip. I love the outdoors and tend to romanticize about it.... the girls were very good sports, though....God love 'em!!!
The first part of our day consisted of the drive up there and then looking around the state park which had a really nice trail made out of recycled tires that led to the falls.....It was warm outside and nice day....
The falls were really pretty - a nice way to begin the day.....
I was so happy to be here....my job this year has been the hardest year ever...harder than my first year teaching...seriously stressful....I guess my family sensed that this was just something that I needed...and as unselfish as that, they just went along for the ride...and loved me in spite of it all....
the waterfall was really pretty and the girls seemed to enjoy it....
we visited the lodge...we had planned to eat here, but it was too pricey....
after a little bit of an ordeal with finding a place for lunch, we finally were ready to begin the real hike...the Hike Inn can only be gotten to BY FOOT!! And it is on back there...like 5 miles into the woods, so we had to hike in whatever we needed for the two night stay. The trick was that as of today, it was sunny and warm, but their had been some forecast of a cold front...We decided not to take a winter coat, I mean it was 80 something degrees that first day of hiking... we did bring our under armor and something to cover our ears..and a light jacket..and a few long sleeve t-shirts..and lots of socks..surely it wouldn't get too cold....This is Adam's Backpack from the 80's.......My Boy Scout who never became an Eagle Scout - and of course that is my fault...long story...(remember Adam and I go way back!!)
The girls got a real kick out of his Vintage bag... they were cracking up!!!!
so the Westbrooks were off...we brought in clothes, toiletries, a book, devotionals that I made for each night, water...and NO cell phones or Ipods.....
If you wanna get quality time with your family, take a hike - does wonders... I thanked and thanked them for going with me...they were so sweet about it....and I think they had a pretty good time even if it wasn't the beach....
my pooh bear...... always on "Becca time"...she was doing a great job as the caboose...
Adam making some adjustments to his ancient back pack....hahahah, just kidding, Mr. W...you are a true outdoorsman...
Jessi with one of the hiking sticks that Papa made for us one year...they came in very handy on this climb up to the Hike Inn...
One of the best things I love about my family is their humor...we all like to make each other laugh and we are all about a good time..... Becca was showing me how she adjusted her pack the way "dad said to do it so it wouldn't hurt my back, but I don't think he thought about me being a girl and all...." bless her heart.....
yeah, that's me....happy as I can be....it is quiet and peaceful....i love to go on a good hike...bless my heart....
after the first 30-45 minutes and we get to this sign and the girls discover that we really were just on a pre-hike to begin the hike and that it was very steep...they were a little upset, let's say....
Dad, being the best dad ever, took both of the girls packs and added it to his..... now that is true love right there.....
we didn't see but a few hikers, but it was worth it to take the Approach Trail to be able to observe the hikers because they were all on the trail to do the Appalachian Trail...very cool...it is like a 6 month hike all the way to like Maine,I believe...
it rained for a little bit of the way....but we were prepared.... Here we are in the middle of nowhere and no one around - and Becca make a fuss over the color of her poncho and she doesn't want to wear it because it just makes her look stupid...dear Lord.... so I trade with her and she gives me the green one and I give her the red one....then she makes fun of me for looking like a turtle and then the hunchback of Notre Dame..and begs me to act like I am the Hunchback - which I did for her over and over again until my back about gave out....all for the laughs of Becca...
Meet Super Becca!!! Leave it to Becca to make hers into a costume.....
One more mile ......I was very glad to see this sign!!!
Jessi was a trooper - she communed with nature and embraced the hike - whining was rare....her ankles gave her a wee bit of trouble on the climb...but....and all around good hiker...her grade....A-
The views were pretty .....
and then out of nowhere....just around a turn...and there is this huge inn....pretty cool!
The Hike Inn is also a conservation....with an educational tour of the grounds before dinner...this is a picture from the worm beds...everything gets recycled even human poop...no joke...when you went to the restroom...you sat on something sorta like a porta potty but you can't see the bottom...the weird thing is your poop just drops down into never never land and there is a fan that blow cold air on your booty the whole time you sit...not a pleasant poop for sure...it actually drops into a big tank under the stilted bathhouse and then is composted with sawdust...humanour..really is such a thing...I fertilized a freakin' garden while I was there...hahaha!!!
After a good night's sleep and a big family style breakfast, the next morning was cold - the temperature had dropped 30 degrees..easy... it was cold and the wind was blowing really hard with sleet....the girls "sacrificed themselves" and decided to give us their jackets and earmuffs so we could be warm- so WE could go hike.... They would stay back in the family area and play cards by the wood burning stove.... what thoughtful girls we have....
this is the view from the family room of the Hike Inn... we suited up for a 8 mile round trip hike... I put on every layer of clothing I brought plus some of the girls clothes - had to put socks on my hands - we didn't think the weather would get this bad..since it was hot and sunny just the day before...
here we are heading up to Springer Mountain... it is the beginning of the Appalachian Trail...something I would love to do one day!!!
it was a hard hike, but we made it!!! The views were pretty - too bad the weather wasn't kind, or we would have stayed and admired the landscape a little longer...but it was all about taking a few pictures and get on back.....
marks the spot..... a really cool thing to get to see!!!
the...'we were here' picture....had to be done...
the dining hall...it was all served 'family style' - very cozy....food was very good - extra yummy!!
The lady told me when I booked our rooms that they were 'minimal' .... a room described as 'minimal' in my terms would be...a room at the Holiday Inn with the 1980's comforters, basic cable, and a single sink with no wifi...something along those lines. The rooms at the Hike Inn...not even close...it was two bunk beds and a light switch - the room was smaller than my bathroom at home...gives a fresh new take on the word ..."minimal"..
the next morning - our 'hike home day' - we awoke to a winter wonderland....gives new meaning to 'spring break' - it was really pretty, but the thought of hiking through the woods in it for several hours, didn't seem like too much fun...especially since we didn't pack one winter coat, no gloves, no warm sweaters...
The girls got a real kick out of his Vintage bag... they were cracking up!!!!
so the Westbrooks were off...we brought in clothes, toiletries, a book, devotionals that I made for each night, water...and NO cell phones or Ipods.....
If you wanna get quality time with your family, take a hike - does wonders... I thanked and thanked them for going with me...they were so sweet about it....and I think they had a pretty good time even if it wasn't the beach....
my pooh bear...... always on "Becca time"...she was doing a great job as the caboose...
Adam making some adjustments to his ancient back pack....hahahah, just kidding, Mr. W...you are a true outdoorsman...
Jessi with one of the hiking sticks that Papa made for us one year...they came in very handy on this climb up to the Hike Inn...
One of the best things I love about my family is their humor...we all like to make each other laugh and we are all about a good time..... Becca was showing me how she adjusted her pack the way "dad said to do it so it wouldn't hurt my back, but I don't think he thought about me being a girl and all...." bless her heart.....
yeah, that's me....happy as I can be....it is quiet and peaceful....i love to go on a good hike...bless my heart....
after the first 30-45 minutes and we get to this sign and the girls discover that we really were just on a pre-hike to begin the hike and that it was very steep...they were a little upset, let's say....
Dad, being the best dad ever, took both of the girls packs and added it to his..... now that is true love right there.....
we didn't see but a few hikers, but it was worth it to take the Approach Trail to be able to observe the hikers because they were all on the trail to do the Appalachian Trail...very cool...it is like a 6 month hike all the way to like Maine,I believe...
it rained for a little bit of the way....but we were prepared.... Here we are in the middle of nowhere and no one around - and Becca make a fuss over the color of her poncho and she doesn't want to wear it because it just makes her look stupid...dear Lord.... so I trade with her and she gives me the green one and I give her the red one....then she makes fun of me for looking like a turtle and then the hunchback of Notre Dame..and begs me to act like I am the Hunchback - which I did for her over and over again until my back about gave out....all for the laughs of Becca...
Meet Super Becca!!! Leave it to Becca to make hers into a costume.....
One more mile ......I was very glad to see this sign!!!
Jessi was a trooper - she communed with nature and embraced the hike - whining was rare....her ankles gave her a wee bit of trouble on the climb...but....and all around good hiker...her grade....A-
The views were pretty .....
and then out of nowhere....just around a turn...and there is this huge inn....pretty cool!
The Hike Inn is also a conservation....with an educational tour of the grounds before dinner...this is a picture from the worm beds...everything gets recycled even human poop...no joke...when you went to the restroom...you sat on something sorta like a porta potty but you can't see the bottom...the weird thing is your poop just drops down into never never land and there is a fan that blow cold air on your booty the whole time you sit...not a pleasant poop for sure...it actually drops into a big tank under the stilted bathhouse and then is composted with sawdust...humanour..really is such a thing...I fertilized a freakin' garden while I was there...hahaha!!!
After a good night's sleep and a big family style breakfast, the next morning was cold - the temperature had dropped 30 degrees..easy... it was cold and the wind was blowing really hard with sleet....the girls "sacrificed themselves" and decided to give us their jackets and earmuffs so we could be warm- so WE could go hike.... They would stay back in the family area and play cards by the wood burning stove.... what thoughtful girls we have....
this is the view from the family room of the Hike Inn... we suited up for a 8 mile round trip hike... I put on every layer of clothing I brought plus some of the girls clothes - had to put socks on my hands - we didn't think the weather would get this bad..since it was hot and sunny just the day before...
here we are heading up to Springer Mountain... it is the beginning of the Appalachian Trail...something I would love to do one day!!!
it was a hard hike, but we made it!!! The views were pretty - too bad the weather wasn't kind, or we would have stayed and admired the landscape a little longer...but it was all about taking a few pictures and get on back.....
marks the spot..... a really cool thing to get to see!!!
the...'we were here' picture....had to be done...
the dining hall...it was all served 'family style' - very cozy....food was very good - extra yummy!!
The lady told me when I booked our rooms that they were 'minimal' .... a room described as 'minimal' in my terms would be...a room at the Holiday Inn with the 1980's comforters, basic cable, and a single sink with no wifi...something along those lines. The rooms at the Hike Inn...not even close...it was two bunk beds and a light switch - the room was smaller than my bathroom at home...gives a fresh new take on the word ..."minimal"..
the next morning - our 'hike home day' - we awoke to a winter wonderland....gives new meaning to 'spring break' - it was really pretty, but the thought of hiking through the woods in it for several hours, didn't seem like too much fun...especially since we didn't pack one winter coat, no gloves, no warm sweaters...So we suited up and wore home everything we brought....I had on my underarmor - the long sleeve top and the long bottoms (I did think to bring that, at least), 2 short sleeve t-shirts, 2 long sleeve t-shirts, and a light weight jacket, a pair of jeans, and a pair of jogging pants, 2 pair of socks on my hands, and two on my feet...and then of course the poncho (I got my $1.99 worth out of that poncho!).... The girls had on the same 'get-up' .... and we were off.....
Doesn't Adam just look thrilled....honestly, I don't know how he puts up with me and all of my crazy ideas....a gem, I tell you.
My sweet girls who were troopers in the snow.....we sang songs - every song we could think of....we marched along through the snow..
how about that, I did get him to smile...I love this picture....he was the best guide throughout the hike...he pointed out slippery spots and helped us up and down through the harder parts and insisted on packing whatever we didn't wear in his pack..
not exactly a beach spring break......but we had fun and we were together.... i can say it was my first time hiking in the snow... with all of the layers, i stayed nice and warm, too....
Doesn't Adam just look thrilled....honestly, I don't know how he puts up with me and all of my crazy ideas....a gem, I tell you.
My sweet girls who were troopers in the snow.....we sang songs - every song we could think of....we marched along through the snow..
how about that, I did get him to smile...I love this picture....he was the best guide throughout the hike...he pointed out slippery spots and helped us up and down through the harder parts and insisted on packing whatever we didn't wear in his pack..
not exactly a beach spring break......but we had fun and we were together.... i can say it was my first time hiking in the snow... with all of the layers, i stayed nice and warm, too....Well, there you have it....this is what the Westbrooks did in April.... and the rest, I have no pictures to show for it... I did turn 36 this month....was pretty non-eventful...but still had a nice day home with my girls...I awoke on my birthday to signs taped all over the house wishing me a Happy Birthday with some funny sayings...Jessi made me an apron..that says, "I don't cook, I heat" - which was really cute...Molly came over and I got to have a crown much like Jessi's made for me that I got to wear to church as well...it was a fun day with my girlies...(Adam was at the firestation)
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