When in West Virginia...

You must go hiking, right? And playing in a creek is pretty much a requirement, too. So Uncle Caleb took the boys and me down a gorgeous trail at Glade Creek, down by the New River. It was so dark and cool and green, albeit muddy. Owen was having a great time running down, and alternately being carried by me. Zach wore his green cloak which made him look a bit like an elf sprite or something, he completely blended into the scenery.

Caleb took us down to a small waterfall, which fell into a deep pool that he says you can jump into from the edge of the trail, a sort of cliff/drop off. We took him at his word on that one. However, we went just above the falls where it was very shallow, Zach was DYING to get into the water. We had to find a way down to the water, and we took a small path that was a bit steeper than I wanted, what with carrying Owen, but with Caleb's help we made it down. Then I had to step into the water WITH MY NEW BOOTS on. Thank heavens for those boots, though. The rocks were completely covered with a slick, slimy algae that made crossing the water a bit like tight rope walking. Only with a baby and a camera. I gave up on the baby, letting Caleb take him over to the other side (where there was a nice flat rocky area for us to sit and eat our sandwiches).

Zach immediately got into the water and fell down, soaking his entire being. Owen saw Zach playing around in the water and kept scouting for a way past me to get into it. There was too much current to let him go freely, combined with the slick rock bottom, so Caleb took him. He had a ball, he bascially ended up on his belly, sliding on the slimy rocks, and Zach joined them. Three boys playing in the water and muck. Just precious.

On the way back, we came upon a delightful native creature. I keep getting told how lucky I am to have seen him, but I will be more than thrilled if I never come across any more of his kind in my life. He was sitting in the middle of the path, I was zipping along carrying Owen and Zach was skipping along at my side, Caleb in the back. When we saw him, I sort of froze mentally and started backing up, grabbing Zach by the shoulder and making him come with me. We waited a while for him to take his time getting out of our way, and then Caleb took the camera and snapped a few pics, getting closer than I would have dared. All in all, a complete adventure.

Owen's clothes were covered in the muck, which rubbed off on my WHITE shirt as I carried him. And I have since learned it does not wash out well. C'est la vie.