Asheville ~ Day 4

Day 4.  Our last full day in Asheville :(.  These fishing pics were actually from day 3 but I forgot to put them up.  This time we decided to do a little catch and release.  Kayla really enjoyed fishing!

*That is our cabin up the hill in the background*

On our final full day we once again packed up the cooler and headed out to Chimney Rock State Park for a day of hiking.  The park has 5 main hiking trails, with 1 specifically geared towards children (Great Woodland Adventure) and 1 leisurely hike perfect for families (Hickory Nut Falls Trail).  For the first hike we strapped Gavin into the SUPER awesome hiking backpack we borrowed from our neighbors, Ryan and Molly, thanks guys!  He loved being up there looking all around!   

LIKE FATHER LIKE DAUGHTER!

The trail was brimming with these beautiful white and a touch of pink flowers.  I HAD to take a picture.  We learned from a fellow hiker that they are mountain laurels.

The trail ended at the base of Hickory Nut Falls.  If you're a fan of one of the top 2 (in my book) romantic movies of all time, The Last of the Mohicans, you might recognize this huge rock wall and falls from the end of the movie ;).  In case you're wondering, the other movie in my top 2 is Pride & Prejudice with Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen :)

*It was crazy crowded because of course we picked the day to go when every school in town was on a field trip*

Notice the sweet little chipmunk cheeks there in the back ;)

  

This was such a great hike.  It was 1 mile round trip and Kayla and Gavin loved every minute.  We packed some trail mix to take along and it was affectionately named 'mountain snacks' by Kayla.  Every few minutes she would pipe up with 'mom can I have some mountain snacks please' :)

After the hike we drove around to the top of the park for a little lunch/rest time while enjoying the views.

This is Lake Lure where Dirty Dancing was filmed.

Our two little goobers!

 

Next, it was onto the .6 mile loop hike created just for kiddos.  The State Park did a great job with this one.  They created 12 discovery stations along the trail that highlighted how various forest friends live.  Even Gavin was able to get out of the backpack to enjoy this experience. 

Man, what an AWESOME trip.  Definitely one that will keep us going with treasured memories for the next year to come.  The kiddos were so happy to be there; the first day in you could really see them relax, it's like they just knew we were there solely to have fun together!  Love, love, LOVE!