Weekly Hikes in February

 Three Gorges Segment of Cumberland Trail, Mowbray Mountain

Our February hikes looked a little different from our January hikes. We had more rainy days, an unexpected snow day, and less people were able to join us overall. But true to my commitment, my boys and I hit the trail every single week during the month. We even squeezed in some extra hikes and outdoor activities.

We actually almost cancelled our first hike of the month. Most of our friends had decided not to come because of the rain and my boys were a bit miffed that I was going to make them go hike with the one girl who was able to come.

I promised my boys that we could get slushes from Sonic and the acquiesced.

It was at a location we had never visited before, and guess what? This turned out to be one of our favorite hikes. I'm so thankful we didn't skip. There was a waterfall to explore, big Indian Rock Houses (overhangs) and cracks in the bluff to climb through. And then the kids spent a solid thirty minutes making mud bombs. They were a muddy mess by the end, but everyone had a great time. This hike was the Three Gorges section of the Cumberland Trail on Mowbray Mountain, and even in the fog, it was so gorgeous!

Snow Day

A couple of days later we had a surprise snow. This wasn't a hike, but we enjoyed an entire day outside. Including sledding and pulling the kids around the neighborhood park behind our four wheeler.

Stringers Ridge Pump Track, Chattanooga

Then Daniel had a chance to take the boys to ride bikes with friends at the Stringers Ridge Pump Track. This was Isaac's first time to do this track on a real bike and he loved it. They all came home muddy and tired.

Mabbit Springs, Signal Mountain

Our second hike of the month was to Mabbit Springs. It was rainy and foggy and all of our people backed out. I almost didn't go. But things were derailing at our house and while I could have just sent everyone to their rooms (myself included) I thought it would be better to just go outside.

At first Jack was mad at me because I wouldn't let him climb around the rocks and waterfall like I normally would. Fast moving water is beautiful but it scares me. Thankfully being in nature helped his attitude (and mine!) even if there was no extra climbing on this particular day.

Hidden Hills Farm Maple Syrup Day, Collegedale

The same week as our Mabbit Springs hike, we had a chance to go to Hidden Hills Farm for their Maple Syrup Day.

This included horse rides and a hayride to learn how maple syrup is made. A big group from our co-op was able to join us for this outing and we all learned a ton. Jack was ready to go order materials from Amazon and start tapping the trees in our yard.

Dirt Bikes at the Park

That weekend the boys had the chance to get their dirt bikes out with friends. This was the first time in several months they have been on their dirt bikes. They were over the moon.

Rainbow Lake, Signal Mountain

Some of our best friends had the day off for MLK day so we invited them to join us on a hike to Rainbow Lake. The best thing I heard was when my friend's son exuberantly shouted that this was the best day ever! I love to see kiddos test their limits, try new things, and see the outdoors up close. It is the very best kind of thing.

Ritchie Hollow, Suck Mountain

 

Following this hike we met up with a few friends at the Ritchie Hollow Trail at the base of Suck Mountain. The kids loved exploring the waterfalls, climbing on big rocks, and building a fort with sticks. This is a trail we will be sure to come back to as spring makes its appearance. The last time we visited this trail, the mountain was in full bloom and it was spectacular.

Middle Creek, Signal Mountain

We did one final hike, just me and the boys, on a Tuesday to Middle Creek because it was a suuny day and there was threat of rain for Wednesday. There is something so soothing about hiking in the woods next to a creek. The boys could spend hours throwing rocks into the creek and building little dams with small stones.

Fall Creek Falls State Park

On the last day of the month Jack's cub scout troop had a cold-weather camp out at Fall Creek Falls to earn their Polar Bear badge. It was a cold day (in the 30s) and even colder night (in the 20s). But it was perfect for hiking down to the falls. Daniel wondered if Isaac would be able to handle the 2.5 mile hike (down and then back up a top of steep steps), but with all of this weekly hiking we've been doing, Isaac had no trouble.

I know that February can be a dreary month, but I also know that you can find joy in the outdoors, regardless of the weather. We sure did.

Pump Track with Our Boys

The Pump Track at Stringer's Ridge is a favorite spot for our kids. We probably need to make the effort to go more often!

The first time we tried it out was Mother's Day last year. Jack had a blast! Isaac was riding on the back of Daniel's bike and was not amused. Earlier this year I took Jack, just the two of us, as a part of our nature day. He could have stayed all day, if I had let him.

Isaac has been doing such a great job on his balance bike and I showed us that he can really handle himself on the trail in the woods at our neighborhood park, so we thought we would go back to the Pump Track and he see how he did. He really blew us away with his natural ability.

His bike is just a balance bike, so he had to work hard to push it up the mounds, but once he was up, he had no trouble (or fear) coming down. "I can do it myself!" is his motto.

By the end of the outing, he was insisting that he needed pedals on his bike. At two, we aren't so sure he is ready, but he may prove us wrong!

And if you get bored with biking, you can always play the toddler favorite, Try to Get Me!

This was also a first for Jack, in that he has a new bike that is bigger and has gears. He handled himself well on this trip to the Pump Track.

As an aside, we realized that Isaac's bicycle helmet was really too small, so we measured his head and realized that it was bigger than Jack's! And Jack happens to have a huge head! Thankfully we had a hand-me-down helmet from a friend whose son is now a teenager!
 

Nature Day: Stringers Ridge

I knew when we moved to the Chattanooga area that nature would play a big part in our lives. I don't think I knew how perfect it would be in terms of how close so many different trails are to us.

My love of this area is definitely increased by the number of trails that are within a short drive (or walk) from our home.

Each week Jack and I go on a hike as part of our homeschool's nature study, and we typically tackle trails on the mountain where we live. However, sometimes we venture off our mountain (we've wandered over to Lookout and Raccoon Mountains), and have really just begun to explore the Tennessee valley and surrounding areas.

Last week, in conjunction with the Super Blue Blood Moon, we were studying the phases of the moon for our nature study but that particular study didn't really fit with our typical day hike.

Since the two of us always try to hike on Thursdays, I decided we would do an urban hike in the city, and if we had time, I wanted to take Jack to the Pump Track to ride his bike.

When Jack found out the plan about the Pump Track, he wanted to get the Stringer's Ridge hike over as quickly as possible!

It was a foggy cool morning, and we were the only ones who seemed to be out on the trails. We stuck to the paved trail in order to try to make the fastest time to the overlook of the city.

We noticed that hiking in an urban area was different from our mountain in that we could hear construction in the North Shore area, and also traffic on Hwy 127 as people made their way downtown and around the city.

Over the last several weeks we have also noticed lots of tree limbs and debris down on the trails in the area. Heavy winds have made a bit of a mess of the woods.

We had another successful day together. We weren't on the look out for any particular part of nature, it was just nice to walk and talk together, in silence or chatting.

Several times Jack came and grasped my hand as we walked. He almost never does that and I really cherish these moments we get to spend together.

As promised, after we made it back to the car, we drove around to the other parking lot located at Stringers Ridge, and Jack biked his little heart out on the two tracks.

He tried some different ways of riding down the various dirt mounds and got pretty confident.

He did have one spill at the end. I had to help pick the bike off of him, but he was fine. He hopped back on and did several more laps before we had to call it a morning.

Watching these videos, I'm pretty sure Jack is ready to move up a bike size. We have one with gears for him, but Daniel needs to do some adjustments to it before Jack starts riding it.

Check back on Thursdays to see where our nature studies have taken us...
Previous Nature Hikes with Jack: 

September: Green Gorge, Althaus Park, and Mabbit Springs
October: Reflection Riding Center (Monday Nature Day with friends) ⎮ Joyce Kilmer Wilderness Among Trees (hike we did as a family) ⎮ Greenway Farms Nature Day (family archery lesson and hike)
November: Glen Falls ⎮ Mushroom Rock (with Mommy and Daddy) ⎮ Raccoon Mountain

December: The Boulders ⎮ Toccoa River (family hike)⎮ Amnicalola Falls (family hike)

January: Green Gorge ⎮ Rainbow Lake