The boys gathered any walking stick they could find and we set off on what was considered an easy trail. We went on the gravel path (there was a concrete one too) with a goal of getting to the actual water falls. The hike was mostly downhill, not difficult at all. The biggest challenge at this point was keeping the boys within our vision. They had a tendency to want to run ahead of us. I was walking at a pretty good clip, but apparently not as fast as they wanted to go. I found myself constantly saying, "boys, its a hike, not a run! or boys, hold up, I can't see you!" The other leaders were all far behind me at that point. One of the dads was keeping up with me and the runaway boys. He was leading us since he had been there before. When we got to this little path, he told me that we should go down there so that we could go to the falls overlook. This was the first time on the hike that I could feel my anxiety level rise. The path was narrow and rocky which made it important that you watch and place your foot carefully with each step. Morgan was super nervous and I was nervous for her and I. Although I was in running shoes, I felt like I didn't have much traction and could easily slip. Grant was in his Samba tennis shoes and those were definitely lacking any grip. We made it down safely and it was totally worth all the stress. The view was breathtaking. The falls gorgeous. The water rushing rapidly. The smell of fresh water was amazing. I couldn't take my eyes of the beauty that surrounded me. We stayed on that large platform overlook for quite awhile. The boys sat and at their snacks and we took lots of pictures. After awhile there, Mr. Drumright said that we should venture down further to an area of water where the boys could play in. That path was even more stressful than the other. Rock steps that were steep and narrow. The possibility of random dogs made Morgan especially weary. She wanted to hold my hand, yet it wasn't really safe to walk side by side. Single file was a must on such narrow areas. Surprisingly, Loren did amazing. She wasn't even nervous like me and Morgan. Grant and Micah were always somewhere ahead of us and I found myself in constant prayer hoping they were ok. I felt immediate relief when we got to the bottom...but that was only temporary. Boys started taking off their shirts and going for a swim. Some even brought swimming suits to change into. Grant and Micah took off their socks and shoes and contemplated wading in to the water, but that was short lived. The water was cold and rocky. They put their shoes back on and really wanted to climb all the rocks around there. It was so nerve wracking to be there. It was getting very crowded and people were even bringing unleashed dogs around. I had to keep telling Grant to get down and not climb the rocks. We were definitely not dressed for rock climbing. At one point, he actually slipped down a rock, scraping the back of his arm only to finally come to rest at the bottom on his bum. I thought that would've scared him, but it didn't. He kept trying to climb. Despite my warning of poison oak all around and not having appropriate climbing gear, he kept trying to climb around. His friend wasn't much help as he kept trying to get him to do it too. It was so stressful. I'm sure I ruined his fun all around. At that point, I honestly wished Grant had chosen to swim instead of rock climb. There were a bunch of boys in the freezing cold water, and they were having so much fun. I couldn't imagine getting in that water on that day, but I totally want to come back during the summer when it's warm and a dip in the freezing cold water would be refreshing.
I was so grateful when they gave the boys a five minute warning and we were ready to hike back. I was looking forward to getting off the small, narrow, rocky paths and heading back to safer trails. The boys started heading back at a rather quick pace, but it didn't last too long. We hit the uphill part of the trails and they finally decided to walk more leisurely. Cade Christopherson had hiked for quite a bit, but was getting tired. Sister Caldwell gave her jogging stroller up (carried her 1 year old) and Cade hopped in the stroller to be pushed. His mom was a trooper pushing him along. When I came up next to her, I asked her if I could take a turn and help. She gladly accepted my offer and for the next 10-15 minutes, we took turns pushing her 72 lb son in the stroller uphill. Cade has brittle bone disease and walking long distances is hard and painful for him. We got our workout that day. Rochelle and I came back a sweaty mess. We were grateful for the other guys on the trip who also took a turn helping to push Cade in the stroller.
After about a 3.5 miles (about 10,000 steps on my FITBIT), we made it back from our hike. I would say it was a success. All the kids had a great time and I'm excited to take Chris back there once tax season is over.
What I learned on my very first hike EVER...
1. Boys will try to climb rocks even though you tell them not to
2. Sambas and running shoes don't make the best hiking shoes
3. Boys can make walking sticks out of anything
4. Young boys run ahead in the downhill part of the hike and lag behind when it's uphill
5. Pushing a good friends 72 lb son in a stroller uphill is one heck of a workout
6. Having an anxious mom on your hike might spoil some of the fun you would've otherwise had.
7. Hidden falls is a gem and I am so glad I was brave and tried something new and outside my comfort zone
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