During my family's annual trip to Camp, we took a few days to go hiking and visit Tweetsie Railroad. The hike up Grandfather is something we always look forward to but it had been at least 8 years since I did it and I honestly couldn't remember much about it. Derek and I love to hike and have done a few strenuous hikes and from what I could remember it seemed to be on par. I mean if my 9 year-old niece and 6 year-old nephew are going to do it then it can't be that bad, right? Somehow I forgot about all the ladders, ropes, rocks, and climbing. It is certainly not for the faint hearted as there are some really dangerous parts and I can't imagine trying to do it in the rain with the rocks being slippery (which I'm pretty sure we did back in my youth). Fortunately it was a beautiful day and we enjoyed our hike along the seven peaks of Grandfather Mountain.
Lauren and William at the start of the Daniel Boone Trail
View from the first peak
About a mile in we weren't sure this guy was going to make it but with some encouragement, he made it the whole way!
This was the first of many of ladders for us
At the start of Attic Window
Midway through Attic Window, this was the view up from where I was standing.
And this was the view down.
We made it! Note the warning signs for how difficult the trail is. We definitely saw people in flip flops and walking dogs
try to go up this path.
Derek and the Mile High Swinging Bridge
All our hikers for the day
Our next big adventure of the week was to Tweetsie Railroad. It's cheesy, outdated, and a bit overpriced but still holds a lot of nostalgia for us. It was great to get to bring Caroline there to enjoy the train, animal feeding, and her first rides. She even got up on stage during the cloggers performance and did her own little jig!
How could these cuties end up in jail?
Caroline is not impressed by the wagon
Paige kindly road the rides with William
And Caroline S. road with Lauren
She was not afraid of the animals and she really wanted them to eat the food from her hand.
Checking out the donkeys
This was like a dream come true. She LOVES Llama Llama books and got to meet a real llama!
First time on a Merry-Go-Round. Maybe not her favorite but she lasted the whole ride without crying.
This proud little lady getting her picture taken with the performers
One afternoon the three of us went over to Linville Falls to do a small hike on our own. We wanted to be able to do a hike with Caroline and this was the perfect place. It had been so long since I had done it that I could barely remember so it was like the first time for all of us.
View of the Upper Falls
Smiling and signing for Dada
Family photo at the lower falls
It was a terrific week at camp and we really hope to be able to go back again next year. Life gets hectic and it is nice to be able to take a week to disconnect from work and reconnect to family. It certainly won't be 8+ years until we return this time!
