Another beautiful day at the Eno

Dad and I didn't get to hike together last week due to my mom's unexpected surgery (who need's all of their organs anyway)  I did still get to enjoy a nice day at the Eno with my sister, Mary, and brother-in-law, Tim.  We spent the morning at the hospital with mom and then headed out that afternoon.  

I think most of the leaves had fallen over the last week because I didn't even notice this old house before! It was pretty cool looking.  The best part was watching my sister make her husband walk thru the trees first to get back there.  Then she decided that we hadn't gone far enough and it looked less creepy so she headed in closer by herself.

One day I'm going to take her over to the suspension bridge just to see if she will cross it :)

Everything was going great until we had to ford the creek.  I really thought she was going to make it across dry.  Oh well, maybe next time.  This was just after her right foot went in.  I was impressed that she caught herself before she went all the way in!  

Hopefully Tim and Mary will join Dad and I on the trail soon.  I think Tim is still icing down his knee.  Considering all of the surgeries he has had and the fact that he has no knee cap, he still managed to finish the 4.4 miles.

Dad and I did get out on the trail again today.  I wasn't sure how cold it would be, but it turned out to be a gorgeous day and actually felt a little warm at 50 degrees!  We followed part of Cole Mill Trail and Bobbitt Hole Trail.  Bobbitt Hole is a pretty cool area.  The boys would probably have a great time swimming there during the summer.  I'll definitely have to find out more about that.  We may ford the river here during our backpacking trip (I'm still trying to convince dad :D)  

I love this park!!  It seems like every trail gives you a completely different view and type of trail.  Today had little elevation changes compared to some of the other trails.  It was about 50/50 with regards to walking in the woods and walking along the river.  The river has so many rocks that you don't walk far before you hear the water flowing over them again.  I could totally pitch a tent and sleep right there!

The thing that surprises me the most about this river is how clear it is.  With all of the clay in this area most rivers look murky and gross.  You can actually see the river bed at the Eno.  Most of it looks pretty shallow so far but there's a lot we haven't explored yet.  

Spring can't get here soon enough!!!

 I've been having so much fun hiking the trails of Central NC with my dad that I decided to start blogging about our adventures.  We were joined this weekend by two of my sisters and my niece.  The weather was perfect and the fall colors are starting to really show.  This days adventure was to Umstead Park in Raleigh.  It can be a bit repetitive (we did get to see a couple of deer!), but was a good place to start my sister out again since she is recovering from plantar fasciitis.  Thanks to Merrell trail shoes she didn't seem to have any serious problems!   This week we will venture back out to the Eno River.  I absolutely love this place!!  It seems like every trail is different terrain and a new beautiful view.  I've had a blast checking out the different trails with my dad!  The trails range from flat and pine covered to rocky with bridges or fording creeks.

 My mom thanked me the other day for going hiking with my dad.  If you think he looks happy on the trail you should have seen the smile on my face!  We are having such a great time not only getting out on the trails and finding new areas in Central NC, but also planning our backpacking trip this Spring!  I'm guessing my mom has already figured out that this probably won't be our only trip in the Spring :)  But seriously, I think we both are excited to be out of the house and in the great outdoors.  My parents started taking me camping at a very young age.  I'm not even sure if I was walking yet the first time they took me.  When I was young we would camp at Higgins Lake in Michigan.  After we moved to California we started camping in the Stanislaus Mountains.  The thing I miss the most about California are the mountains.  I'm glad that we have been exploring and finding so many beautiful places so close to home.