The Weekend Waterfall Hike in SNP

 We took the kids hiking in Shenandoah this weekend. For awhile now the White Oak Canyon Trail has been on my wish list of hikes to try. Ideally we will do the whole eight-mile circuit trail one of these days, but today's schedule only allowed for a quick out-and-back.

 We only made it to the Lower Falls, about 1.5 miles up the three-mile trail, and we realized upon arrival that we were unprepared for the swimming opportunities along this trail. I imagine one hundred years ago local mountain kids would swarm this spot.

As usual we enjoyed our picnic lunch and turned around to head back to the car. We couldn't have been out of our car for more than three hours, but time in the woods always clears my head even if we only have a few hours. Along the trail I enjoyed all of my favorite mountain textures, colored with awesome shades of brown and green. We spotted a pink caterpillar, a two-inch beetle, and some salamanders. The kids chatted and drilled Dan with questions, and A and I sang as we walked.

 It occurred to me that hiking is a little like chores and spinach on the dinner table--time without them makes kids really complain about trying them again. I wonder what other things we could add to that list. It also occurred to me that I'm not that flexible in my expectations and I am really prone to steamroll over all of their whining. I should develop a little more sensitivity. 

Hooray for hiking and everything we learn about each other and ourselves as we go along.