James's new goal is to hike the entirety of the Appalachian Trail, and he's been doing a section here and a section there when he has the time. This past weekend, Gus, Anouk and I (and some of our friends) joined him for part of one, a hike up to Humpback Rocks in Waynesboro. It's about a three hour drive west on 64, almost to Charlottesville, so we decided to leave after breakfast and pack a lunch to carry up to the rocks with us.
It was a strenuous hike for little legs. Not impossible for a four, five, or six year old to do, but it's going to be a good challenge for them. The hike up to the rocks is only about a mile but it involves basically hiking straight up the side of a mountain, climbing stairs, and then picking your way over rocks. It took us about an hour each way with a 3 year old, two five year olds (and a toddler in a carrier on my back). But there were a lot of interesting things to see on the way -- lichens, fall foliage, caterpillars, caves. And the view from 2643 ft. was spectacular, so worth it.
After we got back down to flat(tish) ground, we walked back to the visitor center and explored the farm museum, a few old houses and grounds recreated from the 1850s. It was especially interesting for me and Anouk because we have been reading Little House on the Prairie lately and there are a lot of descriptions of the house that Pa built the family. We were able to see how the logs were notched and split, how pegs were used instead of nails, and how the walls were chinked with mud. Now when we read we feel like we can see it even better!
