Kentucky Vacation Ch.5: Foraging for Nuts and Berries

Kentucky Vacation Chapter 5:  Foraging for Nuts and Berries

(He looks kinda thrilled.)

"How bad could this hike be anyhow?" said Dianne as they marched down the road enthusiastically. 

(Famous last words.)

Jeff aka cabin owner said it was a nice walk in a guestbook journal entry. 

So far, the road to get there was nice. 

We. Were. Ready.

Or so we thought…

They made me go down into the woods first. 

You know, to check for the random snakes, spiders, crocodiles. 

Imagine, if you will, the whistling the Seven Dwarves made as they made their way down, down, down into the mine. We may, or may not, have started out whistling. But very quickly, the path became narrow, steep and at times, winding. Think "Man vs. Wild". We contemplated foraging for nuts and berries for later use. Just in case.

  

At times, the path was reasonable. At other times, it was all I could do to keep the pace set by the rest of my group, all at least half my age, as we scrambled down root-lined narrow pathways, holding onto trees, or as we scampered up inclines that occasionally had strategically placed footholds in the rain-slickened dirt.

Really, was it too much to ask of them to at least appear somewhat out-of-breath and appear sweaty?

They could do that for this not-exactly-athletically-inclined mama. Right?

The way I snuck in one momentary pause was to get them to pose on a rocky ledge.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Sneaky, I know, but it did make for a nice picture.

But, we had a mission in mind, a goal to achieve, an arch to conquer all before we had to get back to the cabin for supper and then get ready for an evening of theatre. (More on that later.)

Onward and upward we continued.

But then we'd see another amazing rock formation, another massive wall of stone rising out of the forest floor and we just had to stop for at least a quick picture.

That's pretty amazing, huh? 

I wonder how the first person ever seeing all this felt.

After two bridges, numerous slips and slides, and one last, very long incline, we were nearly there. I was bringing up the rear, huffing and puffing. If there would've been a piglet's house nearby, I would've blown it down, no questions asked. I kept saying, "I can do this, I can do this, just keep going, you're almost there…" and then just when I thought I was going to have to stop, there was Suzanna's Arch. (Her arch, my bunions.)

Suzanna Arch

(and yes, I made it, shaky legs, dizzy head and all!)

That big arch? It is balanced on this:

Yes, we sat underneath and I drank a bottle of water and ate an apple in it's glorious shade. 

After all, I needed some energy; we still had the hike back to camp. Wait! What? Hike back to camp? Now I am starting to understand what Jeff meant when he said something about taking a route back that wasn't so strenuous. How did I miss that part when I read about a "nice hike?" (Actually, we found that less strenuous route and all were in agreement: Let's not go back up that crazy mountain we just came down. Maybe they were a little done in by this walk too. I am greatly relieved by this.)

Here's what I'll take from this hike to think about:

1. The hike was worth it, not just for the arch and the other massive rocks, but for the lush green view along the way of ferns, laurel and moss.
2. Even if the forest looks a little Middle-Earthish, don't make a shriek like a Nazgul. It may make your eldest son go into defense mode. Apparently I sounded like I was stung by a bee or bitten by a snake, not like a Nazgul. Darn.
3. Not only in the Nazgul incident, but another time on this walk I realized how much Aaron has my back. Once, going down a slope (I'd say "gracefully" but that would be a lie), I felt a steadying hand on my back, and for just a moment I thought Leo was there. What a good example he has been for his boys.
4. Drink water when hiking. And something with calories helps too. See, an excuse to eat; that's always good. That's where the nuts and berries come into play. Or chocolate.
5. After the 8+ mile Cliff Walk on our Rhode Island vacation, the Ohiopyle 22 mile bike ride with old bikes that left much to be desired, and now this hike, I don't know if my family will trust my suggestions anymore for activities.

However, next on our Saturday in Kentucky agenda is another activity planned by Yours Truly.
Stay tuned to find out what.

Love,
Dianne