Boys Day Out! (pic heavy!)
My youngest boy's birthday was on Thursday, and the oldest is coming up next Thursday. Rather than give them material gifts that they won't think about any more after a month or two, I decided to give them something they'd remember for a lifetime.
We loaded up my backpack and headed to Kolomoki Mounds for a day of hiking. The weather was cold and rainy at first, but faired off in the evening. It was an amazing day and they had as much fun as I did.
Rather than overload the thread with pictures, I thought I'd post a few and pass along the link to the album. http://s248.photobucket.com/albums/g...Hike%202-5-11/
We only hiked two of the 4 trails, mostly because we ran out of time to hike the other two, but these equaled 3-3/4 miles together, which I thought was a good hike for the young'uns. Some of the views were just spectacular, and the pictures don't do a lot of them justice.. you'd have to come hike with us to get the full effect, but hopefully this peek will show just how beautiful it is around here. A lot of the land is like this.
We'd have had more time if we weren't goofing around digging for grubs and fat-lighterd in rotten logs, looking up plants in the field guides, and just general horsing around.
Got them to slow down long enough to pose for a picture with a HUGE Magnolia.
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSCN5653.jpg
The place is carved by streams like this. Fresh groundwater boiling from the ground. I would have thought it to be much more brackish (whatever the right word is) with all the leaves, but it was crystal clear.
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSCN5656.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSCN5682.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSCN5659.jpg
The trails go through several different ecosystems and Hepatica nobilis was along this one, but not on the other.
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSCN5663.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSCN5680.jpg
Big-leaf Magnolia makes a great place to get out of the rain!
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSCN5689.jpg
..Made me think of sunshine on a rainy day :D
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSCN5713.jpg
Fatlighterd on the trail
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSCN5735.jpg
On the right is my oldest, middle is my youngest, and on the left is my uncle's stepson. Swift Creek was a prominent settlement.
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSCN5736.jpg
Learning to read a map!!
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSCN5739.jpg
Keep this one a secret.. On the trail an animal had dug a hole about 10" deep. Our curious minds thought "why?". Brandon, (boy on left above) noticed something in the side of the hole. Lacking a digging tool, I dug in with my hands and found some good quality flint!! I wasn't supposed to, but I stuck it in my pack. SHHH!!
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSCN5741.jpg
head of a stream, coming from under tree roots
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSCN5749.jpg
Then it disappears into a hole in the ground!
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSCN5750.jpg
Remember the pics from the Festival? This pic is from the OTHER SIDE of Lake Kolomoki! Yes, we walked a LONG way!!
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSCN5757.jpg
having a rest along the lake.
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSCN5760.jpg
hopefully this puts the grade of the land in perspective!
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSCN5764.jpg
another rest-stop, but we didn't rest, lol.. there was too much to look at!
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSCN5769.jpg
An amazing convergence of two streams. The one on the right was crystal clear, and the one on the left must pass through some mineral deposit, like what colored the alligator in another thread, as it was yellow-orange.
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSCN5777.jpg
If any of you are ever in the area, be sure to stop by Kolomoki Mounds! The place is beautiful. Sorry for all the pictures. Be sure to check out the album for more!!
