Our Hike

I have said before, John and I love to take the kids outdoors.  I cannot imagine a life without running, playing, and exploring the outdoors.  One of our favorite things has become hiking...it doesn't matter where really, we just love it!  One of my favorite memories over the past 6 months has been hiking in the mountains with the family....down to see some beautiful waterfalls and beautiful scenery.  Well, right down the road from us we have some beautiful scenery as well!  A totally pristeen lake sits inside Maclay Gardens.  No boats, no fishing, no dogs, no people...Pristeen.  It is lake overstreet.  On Monday, we took a 5.4 mile hike around lake Overstreet.  It was a rainy, overcast day but we headed out after lunch and had a great time.  Both big kids packed some snacks, rain gear, and a drink in their own backpack.  I did the same for John, Molly, and I.  John carried Molly in our 8 year old backpack carrier and I carried our gear bag.  We saw lots of trees, birds, a dead bobcat (about scared me to death), the lake, horse and bike tracks, vegetation, etc.  The kids did awesome and walked the entire time without complaining.  We talked about plateaus, what pristeen means, fungi, poison ivy, hollow trees, woodpeckers, berries, trailheads, clay, horse poop, what horses eat, and much much more.  You know when you are out in the woods, with no distractions, it is amazing what comes up in conversation....I love it!!!