After years of planning on a vacation to North Carolina, we finally made the trip! Steve lived there for a few years, and shortly after he moved back home we met. He wanted to take a family trip back to show me his old haunts and places he knew the kids and I would enjoy. Namely gardens and natural areas, of course.
We piled into our car and made the 14 hour drive to the first stop of our vacation: Crowder's Mountain in Gastonia, NC. Steve used to run up the trails there, but this time he was on a crutch, on the mend from tearing a tendon and two ligaments in the spring. I was worried he would have issues going up a steep trail but he insisted on making this memory as a family. And what a memory it was!
It was a hot and humid day, and we didn't really give ourselves much rest after such a long drive. Yet up the trail we went, one excruciating step at a time. Surprisingly none of us gave up, and we were rewarded with incredible views.
For us Northeastern Illinoisans, this was not our usual relatively flat hiking trail. Later on, I realized after researching the trails that we chose one of the more strenuous ones. Oops!
Winding our way down the mountain was also challenging, and all the people we passed were amazed at Steve hobbling along on his crutch. Oh the things he can do by being incredibly stubborn! But he was right; as a family this was an accomplishment that we all felt proud of, and I must admit we were all pretty satisfied with our first cool NC experience.
I felt especially triumphant because I am terrified of heights; there were many moments of me freaking out thinking my husband or kids were going to tumble down a steep slope and perish. Luckily we were all very cautious and took our hike seriously.
A few of the many interesting finds of the hike were Clitoria mariana, Asclepias amplexicaulis, and a Rubus sp.
Afterwards, we loaded back up into the car and made the 3-hour drive from the Charlotte area to Raleigh, where we had a hotel mishap. After grabbing some grub at Steve's fave restaurant, Red Bowl, and sorting some stuff out, we settled into our hotel in Durham. We all slept very well that night!
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It only took me 2 years to post this! I had intended to post it in the winter of last year but I got side tracked. I will post more about the NC road trip soon!
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