Tripper gave his Granddaughter her very first hiking poles on her 6th Birthday and promised to take her on her first day hike while she is six years old. Tripper and his son (Chad) decide that High Falls State Park will be the best destination for their first adventure together, and so they load up Tripper’s Mountain Mercedes (Jeep Wrangler) with a day pack & poles to head out for their hike.
The question is: Will they have the same smiles AFTER the hike?
Being that Tripper has taken the back seat out of his Jeep, Daddy (Chad) has to follow along in the family car and they all stop off for lunch at one of Caliegh’s favorite restaurants: Zaxbys! After a little time of Caliegh’s “bread dipping” in Ranch Dressing and Tripper’s salad (we won’t comment on Dad Chad’s meal), off they go to High Falls State Park.
So the three amigos decide that Pee Paw Tripper will lead the way (in order to “sweep spider webs,” “scatter snakes,” “warn off the hungry wolves,” “beat away the bears” and anything else that Bear Grylls would do for the safety of his family) followed by Granddaughter Caliegh and the rear will be covered by Dad Chad.
Tripper takes a moment to teach his Grandaughter the importance of “clicking one’s hiking poles on the back side of a rock or fallen tree before stepping over” to allow the friction and sound to frighten off any creature that may be laying in the sun or shade on the other side.
There is no place better to be with those you love than in the midst of nature! The solitude… the sounds… the sights… the shared conversations… the sense of oneness… the smiles… the smell… the shouts from your Granddaughter: “This is awesome! I’m havin’ so much fun!”
If you haven’t been out for a hike with members of your family… try it! Make it a simple hike… an easy hike… a hike to remember! Sometimes even obstacles along the trail make for a great memory.
There is a feeling of accomplishment and an appreciation for creation and Creator within a hiking adventure. Almost always there becomes a problem to solve (such as a navigational plan around or through a fallen tree and/or across a stream), but with patience and persistence you can come out a victor.
After hiking a nice loop on The Nature Trail of High Falls State Park and stopping periodically for a sip of water from Tripper’s Water Bottle, it was time to finish the hike with style and in fashion.
This is where Caliegh is given her Trail Name: “Dipper” (One’s Trail Name is a name that is given from another person or persons who notice “something unique” about you that will help to distinguish you from others). Dad Chad was quick to say that Caliegh loves to get into water (much like her Pee Paw) and so Tripper gives her the Trail Name: “Dipper!”
Needless to say, this day was a “10” on a scale of 0-to-10!
Just in case you were wondering about the smiles… they were bigger and wider at the end of the hike (especially as Tripper and Dipper “air dried” on the way home)
