7 on the Journey: Family Walk

Part of the path

Even nature gave us an A!

Yesterday, the family and I went for a little hike. Okay, most of the family because some of the teens think going to a state park for a hike with mom and dad is not cool. Maybe cool isn't the right word, but if it requires you to stay home, get up early and ride in a car with your uncool parents and brothers and sisters, said teens make other arrangements. It's okay, the true cool members of the family went and had a great time!

My poor husband had worked the previous night before. The weather was perfect for a fall hike, and the little kids were eager to explore a new state park. The kids packed sandwiches and snacks for the hike and plenty of water was packed for a long walk through the woods. I think I should get an A for being the mom who has convinced not only her kids that hiking is a great way to spend a day off, but also convincing a husband who has worked all night that he wants to go on hike with his wife and three active kids!

Almost to the top of Panola

We arrived at Panola State Park with no idea what the trails would be like, other than there was a mountain and a link trail to the Path System of Atlanta. The kids were super excited when they heard that there were animals at the Nature Center and even happier when they saw the playground. The great thing about Georgia's state park system is it only costs 5.00 to get in, there's always a playground and the rest rooms are always clean! What more can a mom ask for with an exhausted husband and three kids who have been in a car for a hour?

While we waited for the the rangers to return from lunch, to the nature center, we took the rock cropping hike. It was only 3/4 of a mile. That's right only 3/4 of a mile which Elijah viewed as a warm up to the main distance event. Since we live in the south, I had forgot how much temperatures change when hiking up a mountain, even a small one. Colin didn't seem to mind the cold, but I guess kids don't really feel the cold when they're using a hiking trail for a trail race with their brother and sister. There was the hunt for walking sticks and the reading of all the educational signs about the area. The arthritic person in me was proud at the walking stick selection, and the teacher in my was proud that my kids actually stopped to read the signs and learn something new (even if it was about fecal matter found in the woods).

Educational Moment

We took a break, ate some lunch and visited the Nature Center. The kids were underwhelmed with the animals, but were fascinated with the replica of the outhouse. Who would of thought that animal fecal matter and outhouses would be the educational moments of the day? After the nature center we found some more trails and an exhausted husband said he was game for another hike.

I have obviously had some influence on my children because when the ranger told my husband that the Path trail was 11 miles one way to the mall, and 11 miles back, Elijah responded that the distance was not too far. In fact, the kid with the biggest walking stick and the worst arthritis, does not think 22 miles is that far to walk in a day! Yeah Me! Of course the closest Elijah has come to a 22 mile hike is the 10 miles he rode on a bike when I did my last ten mile run to train for a half marathon. My husband did not share Elijah's enthusiasm for such an undertaking so, we agreed that we'd do a 40 minute hike on the path. I was able to get a two mile hill walk in. My kids were able to run off some energy they had stored up all week. My husband was able to stay upright and keep up with me after being up for 25 hours straight. As a reward for such a great day, ice cream was had by all!