It's a long weekend for us, so that meant another chance to hike as a family!
A friend of mine had recently shared photos of a hike their family did and it was somewhere we hadn't visited, so I asked for more details.
She gave me some general details that amounted to it was a spot her husband knew about off of Hwy 111. I probably should have asked for more specifics, or better yet, a way point for the trailhead.
But armed with general knowledge, and the internet, I found a spot I thought she was referencing.
When we arrived at the trailhead, next to the gas station I thought was the right spot, we parked and it didn't feel quite right. It was going to be a long hike, that involved crossing a highway. With little boys, we didn't feel right about that.
The good news was that the trail was a part of the Cumberland Trail (a long stretch of trail from this area up to the Cumberland Plateau in Crossville) and there was a sign with information saying that we could hike in reverse of what I thought we should hike.
So we did.
It wasn't the exact section of trail I thought we would be hiking, but it turned out to be beautiful.
We did the Possum Creek section of the Cumberland Trail, just off of Hwy 111 at the Heiss Mountain Trailhead. We started at a series of waterfalls, crossed some bridges and had a pretty hike in the woods.
We had high hopes of making it to a waterfall called Imodium Falls
(mostly because we were curious about what inspired such a name!) and a
potential camping site, but with little kids you just have to go at
their pace and we didn't get as far as we would have on our own.
This is definitely a hike worth checking out. We covered a little over two miles on this day and enjoyed discovering a new spot. We hope to come back and make it further down the trail.
Two days in a row of hikes meant that Isaac was worn out and slept for most of the first half of the hike (he fell asleep on
the drive there), but insisted on walking all the way back to the car
after he had a snack. Also, when Jack had to pee in the woods, Isaac
thought he should do that too (he's not potty trained yet, I guess
interest is a good thing at this point!).
Two generations ago, most of our grandparents were growing up on farms. Our parents probably had some connection to a farm when they were children, and perhaps we had relatives who owned farms that we visited when we were young.
Daniel has fond memories of helping his grandfather herd cows down a road between pastures and I remember visiting my Great Aunt and Uncle's dairy farm when I was a kid.
Our children? They don't have that same connection to the land that previous generations did. We don't even have a small garden at our house, though when we visit my parents, our boys enjoy picking raspberries and other things from my parent's garden
I am so thankful that there are local farms that open their grounds to children. You have to pay, but it is a wonderful way to expose our kids to where food comes from.
Hidden Hills Farm and Saddle Club in Ooltewah, TN is one of our favorite places. Throughout the year they host special days where you can visit and learn about a particular part of their farm. By far, our favorite day to visit is Tractor Day, and our very first visit was on a Cow Milking Day.
Other days occur throughout the year, you can check out their events on their Facebook page.
Most recently, we had the privilege of visiting on their Maple Syrup Day. Another homeschool family joined us for some fun on the farm and a hands-on lesson in how Hidden Hills makes their own Maple Syrup right here in East Tennessee.
It was a lovely day to be outside. The sun was shining and the ground wasn't too muddy.
Jack immediately wanted to take a ride on a horse, and Isaac rode his very first pony. Once he was on, he wasn't thrilled and insisted I hold his hand for the whole ride. I'm sure by our next visit, he will be riding without any trepidation. Of course, Jack wanted to ride the biggest horse they had out.
After they each took a turn, we laughed as a baby calf escaped the coral and children gleefully chased it back to its mama.
Isaac was beside himself watching the chickens run amuck everywhere and was happy to pet the goats. Jack was bitten by a duck at a petting zoo a few years ago and isn't a big fan of petting the animals.
To learn about the maple syrup, the farm had a hayride that collected a group of parents and children. We tried three times to get on the hayride and it was packed each time.
So we ate our picnic lunch and the kids played. Thankfully, the farmer
promised to do one last run, even though the play day was over at 12:30.
While we waited for the last wagon, Jack was able to take one last
pony ride. This time he ended up on the littlest pony. I can't believe
how big he is!
We finally made it onto the hayride. The kids enjoyed
riding around different parts of the farm. I loved hearing how the syrup
is made.
It was really quite fascinating. I plan to start reading
the Little House on the Prairie books to the boys next year and we may
have to find some trees to tap on our property.
The entire experience was quite educational – much more than what you
would learn just reading about maple syrup in a book.
I think the
opportunity to see the trees being tapped, touching and licking the sap
straight from the tree, and then tasting and comparing the syrup to
other kinds of syrup, is the best way to learn. And the lessons
stick!
As we left the farm, Jack was eagerly counting all of the white buckets with tubes attached to the trees.
A few facts that I didn't know:
You can tap trees besides Maple – like Sycamore and Walnut.
Birds, like woodpeckers, are good indicators of where the good sap is. Just watch for dripping holes on the side of trees in your yard.
You need frost at night followed by days that warm up above 40º for ideal sap flow.
We left with a bottle of local Maple Syrup and new found knowledge. The next morning I made pancakes and we devoured half of the bottle!
