Adventures

Adventures, to me, are experiences, not necessarily destinations. My favorite adventures are the ones I took with my kids when they were growing up. After our school day, I would gather up snacks, pack the kids in the car, pick up a couple of their friends, and head off for a walk at one of the many outdoor parks nearby.

In Virginia Beach, the adventure of choice was often a swampy walk on the Bald Cypress Trail. We’d scurry across the wooden bridges that spanned the murky, black water, smelling of sulphur mixed with honeysuckle and pine. We’d climb over fallen, lichen-covered tree limbs that attempted to block our way. The kids were delighted when they discovered “secret” chambers in rotted tree trunks; a perfect stage for playing hide and seek.

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No matter which path we took, skinny Loblolly pines stretched up high in the sky as if touching heaven itself. Spanish moss swept down from the branches like hair on a troll from one of our fairy tale books. 

If we were quiet enough, we’d meet a salamander, frogs of all shapes and sizes, and even an occasional Nerodia erythrogaster or water snake. The air was alive with the quiet noises of nature: birds twittering, insects buzzing, and squirrels scampering; only interrupted by children's' happy laughter. 

 

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 In Pennsylvania, we were a mere ten-minute drive from the Appalachian Trail. After school, we'd grab our German Shepherd, Peppercorn, along with a few friends, and drive out for a day of hiking on the enormous boulders that lined the rugged pathways. The scenery was breath taking: mountains, forests, and overhanging cliffs that sink the pit of your stomach when you look down to the bottom hundreds of feet below. 

If we were lucky, we’d see deer, foxes, and rabbits. Occasionally, we'd meet someone hiking up the trail from Georgia. These folks always enjoyed stopping to talk about their adventures like we were old acquaintances.

I loved watching my kids experience the outdoors, enjoy their friends, and learn about nature. These are my favorite adventures and ones I will never forget.