You may not guess it since we haven’t been doing it as regularly as we’d like to in a long time, but there isn’t much the girls, David, and I like more than getting outside. Hiking and camping refreshes us in a way nothing else can. Now that the girls are 5 and 2, we hope to do it more often, especially because we live in North Carolina and have incredible destinations within a two hour car ride (like Stone Mountain State Park, which we hiked when Kaitlyn was only 9 months old!).
This past Saturday we made the easy 1.5 hour scenic drive to South Mountains State Park in Connelly Springs. This rugged park features elevations to 3,000 feet, an 80-foot waterfall, mountain streams, and more than 40 miles of trails for hikers, equestrians, and mountain bikers.
We stopped at the visitor center for potty breaks, but I’m so glad we did. The visitor center is a gem that I’m glad we did not miss!
It’s an educational playground with microscopes set up to look at river residents, buttons to push to hear noises from the animals around the room, a water feature, and so much more.
Hailey begged to return after our hike, and we did.
Though there are 20 marked trails to choose from, as a young family we were interested in seeing the 80 ft waterfall and finding a trail right around 3-4 miles long.
The High Shoals Falls Loop Trail, the most popular trail in the park, was exactly what we were after.
The 2.7 mile long trail is marked strenuous. There are short portions of steep inclines and several areas of climbing over large rocks
The river and the rocks surrounding it were huge hits with the girls.
As were the multiple bridges over the Jacob Fork River that we got to cross.
Hailey was in giggles the whole way, minus the one time I asked everyone to be still so we could savor the silence and she thought I had seen a bear and almost broke into tears. Oops.
But other than that, she was a ball of energy and loved pointing out every waterfall we encountered, no matter how small (and calling it a water fountain).
Kaitlyn hiked probably about a mile total, which I thought was pretty good for a two year old. She was really into touching every single blaze we encountered, which was adorable… at first.
The other time she swapped between riding with David or me in the Kelty.
We love our Kelty (we found it used years ago on Craigslist).
Hailey rocked the entire trail on foot and could have kept going. She didn’t mention tired feet once and I’ll be honest, I was impressed and excited at what this means for future family adventures.
We stopped for lunch at the big waterfall and chowed down on pb&j (girls)
and Publix subs (the adults).
It was colder than we anticipated (probably around 40 degrees), but if we kept moving, we were fine. Luckily there was plenty to play on in nature’s playground.
Since this trail was one of the park’s most popular, there were little overlooks and educational boards set up throughout it. I admit, I often walk right past those things, but at the age of 5, Hailey is a barrel of curiosity and wanted to read every sign (I think part of her was looking for reassurance we weren’t going to run into a bear).
The hike took us about 3 hours, so at a pace of about 1 mile per hour we weren’t exactly flying through it, but that’s not what we were after anyway.
By the time we all piled back in the car, we had that beautiful feeling of being tired yet completely wrung out and satisfied. We had such a fun time and it’s high on our list to return to for camping sooner than later!
I have to brag on David for a minute who threw together a short video of our family hiking experience.
The hike did pull at our heart strings a little, as Koda loved hikes more than any of us. We still miss her and talk about her often, and though no pup will ever replace her, we smile about the day we’ll have another four legged friend to take on these adventures with us. PS- if you’re into outdoors and dogs, you must check out this instagram account.
Are you into outdoor adventures?
Where is your favorite place to hike or camp, or a place you’d love to visit one day?
I could go back to Telluride again and again, but would also love to explore the Pacific Northwest!
Liz T says
Looks beautiful! I’m impressed by your girls and their stamina- that’s awesome they did so well. Was the trail a loop or did you have to backtrack it?
Brittany Dixon says
It was a great little loop trail! Though a lot of people hiked to the waterfall (only about 1 mile in) then turned around and hiked back. That part of the path was definitely the most exciting part.
sherry says
I loved the video David did! Looks like so much fun! I’m in for a hike.
Brittany Dixon says
Come up and we’ll take you on one! π
Karen says
Good job David!!!! Nice video of the entire family having fun on a trail.
I love that K needed to touch every blaze along the way…..maybe someday she will hike a long trail somewhere and this could be the hike that inspired her to do so.
Awesome!!!!
Brittany Dixon says
It was fun to hear H and K shriek with excitement every time they saw a blue dot on a tree! Hailey would say LOOK! Another clue! It was like a giant scavenger hunt. Good times π
Karen says
The next time you hike you should download some geocaches for H and K to search for. Then they can take a charm and leave a charm. It very fun for kids.
Here is a post I wrote about it awhile ago.
https://naturalred.wordpress.com/2014/06/04/getting-your-children-active-and-outdoors/
John J. says
Wonderful pics, video – and appropriate music! Kudos to you adventurers!
EmilyS says
This post makes me so excited to do this stuff with my family one day. For now, its just me, the hubs, and the pup. We’re actually headed up to NC (from GA) this Thurs for long 4 day weekend of hiking and visiting mountain towns and breweries!
Brittany Dixon says
Oh fun!! Where are you headed? Asheville?
EmilyS says
Staying outside Sylva which is a really cute little town we discovered last year when we stayed in Highlands. I’ve been told its like Asheville was before it became really popular.
Brittany Dixon says
Oh that sounds NICE! Hope yall have a great time!
montessoriishmom says
This sounds so fun! Hiking is pretty much my favorite thing to do. We’re planning to take our little guy (5 months) camping for the first time next month and I’m super excited!
Heather says
Looks like a really fun day! I still don’t seem to know of too many hiking places where we live now, but we’re lucky that we have some nice trails that are very close. The kids like to walk from our house to the river and see what’s going on. One day I want to take them on some actual mountain hikes and one day especially to Switzerland. I’ve only been there once briefly and want to get back so bad!!
Brittany Dixon says
Oh my gosh hiking in Switzerland sounds INCREDIBLE. I think I’ll add that to my list now as well π
Annie says
Looks like such a great weekend adventure! As a kid my parents always took us hiking and camping. We lived in a beach town but spent equal amounts of the year hiking and camping as well and I loved it. I’m hoping to do more of it as my son gets older I think he’ll love running through the woods, exploring streams and trails.
Sue says
I love that you guys live in such a beautiful part of the country and have the desire to get out and enjoy it together. LOVE the clip of Hailey reaching out her hand to help her little sister up the steep steps, and also, your just-in-case hands, ready to catch a back fall.
So much joy!
Brittany Dixon says
Hailey naturally looks out for her and it makes my heart swell. I feel fortunate to get to watch their special sister relationship bond continue to develop!
Taryn says
Looks like a really fun adventure! Our kids are 3 1/2 and 5 1/2, and it feels nice to finally feel like we can do these outdoor adventures as well. We took them tent camping last fall, and I absolutely cannot wait to go again this year! Nice to start seeing a glimpse of our old life before kids π
Brittany Dixon says
I feel the same way. I find my baby fever lessens considerably when I think of all the fun adventures we are able to start going on. So much excitement ahead!
Julia @ Drops of Jules says
Okay, I cannot get over the picture of Kaitlyn in the backpack contraption in the car with David by her. Too cute. Your family and their smiles- gah! It seems like you were the only people out on the trail- how fun for your fam!
I am into outdoor adventures, but i donβt have a lot of experience with them. Actually my boyfriend and I have tentative plans to camp over spring break in two weeks. Iβm nervous as can be. Any tips for a first timer?
Brittany Dixon says
Oh no need to be nervous, you will have a ball!! Where are yall thinking of going? I’m not the utmost authority of camping by any means, but I like to get there early to set up so I still have daylight to hike and explore. Plenty of good food and a good fire, plus I sometimes bring cards or my Book of Questions for fun fireside convos. Hope you guys have fun!!
Julia @ Drops of Jules says
Book of Questions is such a good idea! We had already planned on bringing cards, but I will add something like that book to my bag. We are headed out to Joshua Tree, so not too far from SD. π Thank you for your suggestions!
Lauren @ Oh Hey! I Like That! says
It looks like you had a fantastic day! I can’t wait to take our little girl for hikes!
Sarah says
Sounds like you had a great time! I LOVE that video! How did David put it together?? I’m guessing a computer software or an app? Did he use his phone to take all the photos and videos?
Brittany Dixon says
I’ll pass along the compliment! π He uses Premiere Pro though I know he’s had some frustrations with rendering different sized videos/pictures. We pay monthly to use lightroom, photoshop (that we both don’t know how to use- ha!), and premiere pro. The video is all from our GoPro and the photos are all from our Canon 40D.
Laura says
Yay for hiking! I love the video, and you will really enjoy having that to watch years down the road!
We are pretty spoiled as far as trails in CO Springs and can literally hike into the national forest from our backyard (and we live in the city!). So, hiking as been a part of our boys life since they were in the womb. I remember the first time I went out with the two year old and newborn by myself. I remember thinking when we made it back to the car- wholly crap that was a lot of work!! But, I knew it would only get easier with practice so I made a point to keep getting them both out. With all the exposure my 3 year old can now do 4 miles, on a good day. And It was a good thing he refused the backpack at a young age since I would have been stuck carrying both during the summer week days when I’m home alone with them. I think the best thing I read about outdoor adventures with kids is “it’s only fun while it is fun” which is a good reminder to scale back if necessary, and also to sometimes allow things like my 3 year old collecting a pocket full of acorns.
Brittany Dixon says
Laura, I love your point of it’s only fun while it’s fun. It’s so true! Though Hailey could have done another mile or two, Kaitlyn was cold and tired. I want her to only think of hiking with positive thoughts, so I’m glad we didn’t push it any further. I’m jealous of all the amazing access you have to hiking! Colorado is an incredibly beautiful state!!
Laura says
Totally agree about the positive thoughts. We have had to turn around early numerous times (after breaks, snacks, and distractions are no longer effective) and even though I really want to keep going, I don’t want to push my boys so much that it becomes unpleasant.
Ann says
Love this! What kind of shoes does Hailey wear on these adventures? We are starting to get into this stage but I am finding our beloved Natives don’t cut it for real outdoor adventure!
Brittany Dixon says
Right now she just wears her “fast shoes” which is whatever sneaker we’ve most recently bought her. I think they may be New Balances? As we get more into it, I’ll figure out what works best but for now, those seem to be working fine π
Maria says
Can I just skip to this age so we can continue to do hikes? Juuuuust kidding! What a beautiful park and I’m impressed by the girls’ stamina. Iceland next on the agenda? π
The video was so fun and I’m sure the girls will love watching it when they are older!
Noa says
Wow! This is the dream – to be able to go on a hike like this with kids! So happy you could do it and that Hailey was such a trooper!