First Hike of 2021: Signal Point to Rainbow Lake

Since moving to Tennessee we have always done a first of the year hike on January 1. Some years we are able to meet up with friends for this hike.

 

This year the first of January was rainy and miserable so we decided to be flexible and go on the 2nd when it was sunny.

 

 

It turned out that the weather was so nice that the entire mountain must have had the same idea! 

 

We met up with two other families at Signal Point (we couldn't fit in the parking lot so had to park on the street a ways out and walk to the trailhead). When we were all gathered we headed down all the stairs from the point making our way to the Julie Falls overlook.

 

Then we proceeded on to Rainbow Lake. This was a first for our family. We passed the Rainbow Falls waterfall (not the waterfall at the Rainbow Lake dam but the actual Rainbow Falls). Another time we will have to try the scramble down to the base.

 

We stopped at Rainbow Lake for snacks and a break. The kids played and the parents visited. Then we headed back up to the Rainbow Lake parking lot on Ohio and walked down the street to the car. Completing our first hike of the year. This was 1/52 for my personal goal for the year and five miles.

 

 

Nature Day: Green Gorge, first school hike of 2018

When I committed to homeschooling Jack, one of my goals was to make sure we had plenty of time available to be out in nature. I found a nature study that I thought would support this goal, and we set out to do weekly hikes, just the two of us, when possible.

Our curriculum is Exploring Nature with Children, and it is really just a guide to give us purpose in the woods. And while we talk about different themes from the guide each week, we also enjoy one anothers company, the solitude of the woods, and the time together without distraction.

Sometimes I have to remind myself that our days aren't a race. We don't have to rush through the hike to get to the next thing. We can stop and climb all the rocks or look at what Jack is interested in looking at. And do be honest, these hikes are probably the best part of the school week.

When we kicked off this hiking tradition, we started at Green Gorge. This little park with a two-mile, figure-eight trail, is located on the street behind our house. You can walk to it from our house if you choose. Jack and I normally have plans after our hike, so we just drive and park at the trailhead.

We typically do the loop of the trail that has the swinging bridge. I think on our next visit we will do the entire figure eight.

This trail is nice because it is relatively flat. It is perfect for kids because it is fairly short. It follows the creek the entire way and there are bridge crossings. When it is warmer, Jack likes to wade in the creek.

Initially Jack was dragging his feet about going hiking. It was a really foggy day and he thought it wasn't good weather for hiking. My motto follows forest kindergartens, "There is no bad weather, just bad clothing choices."

With much grumbling we set off. Jack was surprised that the fog didn't seem to be as dense in the woods. Once we got started he found that he enjoyed seeing the woods from a different perspective.

As usual, he was determined to cross the creek on stones. I reminded him that it was cold and he would not be happy if he got wet, but still allowed him push his own limits.

I love walking on this trail as the creek babbles happily beside me. Jack likes that there is a small section of bluffs that he can climb up, and we have special trees that we always stop so that Jack can sit in and climb.

Often Jack runs ahead of me and we will whistle back and forth. This gives him some autonomy and lets me know where he is and he knows he should stop and wait for me if the whistles get too far away.

I'm pretty sure he would run the entire trail if I let him. I look forward to watching these woods change over the course of this year and the years to come.

 

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)

First Hike of the New Year: Old Stone Fort

The first day of 2017 dawned cold and rainy. Not exactly a great day to be outdoors.

According to the forecast, January 2nd had the potential for sunshine (or at least no rain) and warmer temps, but we already had lunch plans with some of Daniel's family at his Grandmother's house in Manchester, TN.

On a whim, I googled "Manchester Trails" to see if there was anywhere we might be able to take the boys... I probably should have just asked Daniel!

Anyway, I discovered that Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park, also known as Old Stone Fort, had a dam, and a 3-mile loop that included waterfalls.

So I mentioned to Daniel that I thought we should consider leaving our house early enough in the morning to go roam around this park before lunch with family.

He asked what I had in mind, and then surprised me by saying that he grew up camping at Old Stone Fort! I don't know why we have never visited there.

We arrived in Manchester in time to spend about an hour in the park. With two little kids, this time frame was perfect – they could run around and burn off some energy and not get too exhausted prior to our family visit.

Before heading down the trail, we checked out the exterior of the fort (it is now a museum that was closed for the holiday). It was built by Native Americans between 1,500 and 2,000 years ago and you can read about it on the park's website if you are interested in that sort of thing.

From the roof of the fort, we were able to see the dam and take a quick family photo before heading down the trail. Daniel hung back with Isaac while Jack and I went ahead exploring the trail.

There were many side trails that periodically broke off from the main trail and meandered down to the river with views of the waterfalls that naturally occurred below the dam.

Isaac is insisting on walking more on his own these days. Which is great, but can also make our hikes incredibly slow. Thankfully Jack likes to explore and doesn't mind the slowness.

Toward the end, I put Isaac in our kid carrier (he just wanted to be held and he is heavy!). He was not happy about being strapped down. Sorry kid – it won't be long until you can handle longer walks on your own!

We probably went about half a mile before calling it a morning. After we were back in the car (with snacks to bribe the boys), we drove around the campground and Jack informed us that camper camping would be a lot of fun.

Little does know, we are kicking around the idea of at least renting a camper to see what we think about it. Time will tell what we decide.

It was a lovely way to spend our morning and our first hike of the new year. You can't beat a good waterfall and with the recent rain, the water is definitely flowing.

I have a feeling that our next outdoor excursion might involve snow, if we're lucky!