Hike to Rainbow Lake II

Daniel is currently working long hours. He is at the end of a large project and it looks like things could be hectic for the next 6 months. We are trying our best to carve out family time whenever possible. Right now that means taking advantage of my OB appointment days.

This past Saturday Daniel left work early to get the tires rotated on one of our vehicles. This meant he was home by 5pm (which is pretty early for him). We had an hour before sunset, so we decided to do a quick hike down to Rainbow Lake.

The round trip hike to Rainbow Lake is 2 miles. Going down there are some steep switchbacks, but it is doable with our Bob Revolution Stroller (which is basically the equivalent of a mountain bike for small children). Jack walked at the very beginning, but it was cold and he hadn't napped, so it wasn't long until he was ready to ride.

On the way down, Daniel handled Sophie and I pushed the stroller. We passed several people coming back up. One lady (on the steepest section) asked if I had done this before. The implication being: do you know what you are getting into? I have hiked it before with the stroller, and I had every intention of making Daniel push the stroller back up to the top.

The temps were brisk, but it was nice for all of us to get out together as a family. At the lake, Jack insisted on walking down the steep, rocky trail by himself. I offered my hand, but he kept telling me, "I can do it myself."

The poor guy was freezing, so I gave him my vest. On the way back, we covered him up with an extra coat and he conked out. We could hear him snoring as we walked back up.

This was our first hike in almost a year, hopefully we will be finding time to get out on the trails more often (especially once Daniel's big project winds down). Until then, short hikes here or there are to be savored.

Jack was so little the last time that we went to Rainbow Lake!

Hike to Rainbow Lake I

We are staying at a cottage on Signal Mountain and enjoying the benefit of being close to our friends, the Reynolds (who we have known since our Charlotte days). Signal Mountain also has the added benefit of having easy access to Prentice Cooper State Forest. Our cottage is actually located a very short distance from the Rainbow Lake trail and parking lot.

Yesterday I had plans to run to the bottom of the mountain to grab groceries for the week. On a whim, I googled the Rainbow Lake trail to see if I could find a description of the trail (we don't have our backpack carrier with us, but I did have our BOB stroller). I came across this video on YouTube that gave me confidence that I could get down to the lake with the stroller.

So instead of grocery shopping, Jack and I ventured down the Rainbow Lake trail to see what we could see. At first the trail wanders next to the golf course before heading down to the lake. It follows a small bluff before zigzagging down to the water. 

There were three fairly steep spots. I rocked the stroller back so that I would have more control and we made it down without any problems.

Once we could see the dam with the water spilling over, I took Jack out of his stroller for a break and climbed down closer to the water. But not too close. After we checked things out, we headed back up.

Pushing the stroller back up the trail was tough. My calves were burning and I had to stop to catch my breath after each little climb. Thankfully it was a short trail. 

We did pass a couple of other moms hiking down with their older kids. I am sure they thought I was crazy to be out there with a stroller, but the BOB is great for this kind of trail. It was easy to push on the terrain – even over bigger rocks (and one log). 

We hiked around 2 miles (out and back). I had to turn around at the end because of a couple of trees blocking my way. It was a pretty walk. I think that Jack enjoyed the ride down. He fell asleep on the way back. So much for grocery shopping that morning!

Being so close to a forest definitely has some perks. There are so many trails to explore and they are all within minutes of most of the houses on the mountain!