Another "rugged" adventure with my man

  We have been wanting to do this longer hike on a day we don't have kids in tow.  We went to "Three Forks" where Overflow Creek, Big Creek ,and Holcomb creek tumble together to make the West Fork of the river we love so much.    I told J I just could not reconcile our hikng book, with the internet directions, and with the map.  He found a route...and then once we were out there we were trying to reconcile the book's description of a shorter "rugged route" that we had decided to try, a small not very good map, and what was described as a creek to cross that actually looked more like a raging river during this spring and just after a day of major rainfall.  We DID hike to a beautiful spot on the West Fork of the Chattooga river that involved hanging on for dear life down the side of a bank (as told in the "rugged route's" brief description. Still, we climbed down the wrong mountain, but the fishing was grand and it was beautiful!    I still could not get past the feeling that we were not at Three Forks on the way back out.  Sure enough, on the way out God sent us a guide.  I have always said that bald men are usually great folks and that I have met very few I did not like.  This guy was bald as can be and had a chocolate lab (like us), and even was packing heat (which I did not notice until J told me?!).  So, we followed him to what amounted to a secret passage across a "creek," which was more like a river I'd say. He lifted a heavy branch of rhododendron at place we had already fished and then BOOM--a secret trail did appear!  So, we follow baldie through and under some rock overhangs, waded across said "creek/river" and found our faint trail that we could scramble down the correct mountain and to Three Forks.  It was really cool place where indeed THREE river/creeks come together to form the Chattooga and a nice island/camp site area was right in the middle. 

"the creek"

Brown Trout--not many other folks had climbed down this embankment so the fishing was good!  Getting out caused the lungs to do some burning. 

Jonas fishing/me on GIANT boulder above.  I did finish Ron Rash's Serena novel!  A Great book! 

Looking up Holcomb Creek From 3 Forks Island

I love the river! 

Rainbow Trout down the Wes Fork of the Chattooga...getting lost for a while is not so bad when you find good fishing! 

Souvenirs from "the rugged route."

Now that I am home safely I find this note on the internet: (Jonas in the hole in the picture)--A few yards to the right of the creek crossing, look for another path entering the woods through a 
duck-your-head hole in the rhododendron. This trail 
will lead you downstream, above the long, tilted chutes on Holcomb Creek to Three Forks (1,840 feet). The path becomes 
progressively steeper (two short, very sharp pitches) toward its bottom 
end beside Overflow Creek.

My love...oh the states we have been together in the woods! 

This is how we roll on the farm: meet a great new pet!

Cutie is quite friendly! (Cay named her.)

Daddy's Girl

Caleb with Cutie

My Cowboy love.

A cowboy's best friends.

Cutie's Baby: Precious

Other newbies this early spring!

Celebrating 5 years of loving Rooster!

classic rooster

We had a great, yet exhausting trip to celebrate Caleb turning 5 and (almost) finishing his reading lessons with Mom!  We went to the Wilderness Water Park in TN and though they loved the water, and he was brave to even try his hand at surfing, the kids all loved indoor play area! 

This boy is sheer delight at 5.  He is pretty much always happy.  Still, he is happiest when he is home and in his full cowboy "regalia" (see picture).  

Birthday boy and his buddies

Our trip ended with another visit to the Elk. 

And we saw a fawn and her Mom on the way!

The Valley

My favorite adventurers

This boy adores his Daddy

 Both boys really conquered the climbing wall.  Cay even made it to the top to ring the bell!  People were amazed.  Knothead got to ride the biggest, fastest, scariest slide there and the look on his face was quite intense.  Skeeter fell in love with the “Drop of Doom” and we lost track of the times that she rode it,  but I would guess over 20 times during the weekend.  She was squealing and running back and going under the turn style to go again.  She was also a maniac on the mini-bowling alley.  All the kids enjoyed the faster speed of the game and the smaller  balls.  Knothead turned into a pro on the treetops ropes course. J got special permission for Caleb to try and and he of course tackled it like a pro, even if he was sweating parts of it quite a bit.  I could not believe how brave all my kiddies were. They have been exposed to so much thrilling stuff that I don’t think much  can scare them anymore.  They are some fun kids to hang out with!   

Thumbs up for climbing!

Treetops course

Sassy sister

Too much fun on the drop of doom!

The shirt says it all. Dangerous Kid.  he has a hammer and a saw and I could not resist this picture opportunity to point out the obvious.

I will never forget our fun days on the farm together.