New Tradition

traditions - how do they get started, do we just decide "today i will start a new tradition" i think not. traditions become what they are when people look back over time and realize there is a common theme or activity they have done on a regular basis whether it is weekly monthly yearly or whatever the frequency might be. such be the case here and the inspiration for the blog holiday hike.
it was memorial day weekend and we decided to visit my daughter kaleigh who lives in winterville, nc. we didn't have concrete plans but it was supposed to be just for the day. on saturday my daughter jordan who could not come to winterville with us because she had to work asked if i would spend the night in winterville and she would come down sunday night after she was done with work. i didn't have any plans for monday so i said yes. again, we had no concrete plans, just to spend time together on a day off. monday morning was upon us and we wanted to do something outside. looking for a place to just take a walk we decided on "Riverwalk" in greenville which we sumised must be near the tar river. It was quite warm, in fact it was down right hot in the sun (90 something degrees) but being near the water maybe it wouldn't be so hot. so off we went, armed with a camera, a stroller (for trevor) and our sneakers. we stopped and got some bottled water and then on to the park. Our walk started down a dirt path in the blazing sun. I was thinking that this wasn't going to last long. but i finally saw the trail leading into the trees. yes, shade! it was much cooler under the trees and even cooler when we got near what looked like a pond, not a river. Where was the river in riverwalk. We continued on down the trail as the light dimmed and the vegetation thickened. It was like being on a different planet. i was thinking "where is yoda." 

it was
beautiful, peaceful and inspiring. my "grandson" trevor had fallen asleep in the  stroller as we moved along the path. there were many things to take pictures of. It was a great way to spend a day. 


move ahead several weeks and we come to independence day. what to do for this holiday. how about a hike? but where to go? how about the eno? sounds like a good idea. we packed a picnic lunch armed ourselves with a slr camera, a video camera and water bottles and hopped in the car. 30 some miles later we are at the eno river state park just outside durham, nc  for a 1.5 mile hike on the coleman and bobbitt hole trails. 

this was another steamy one with temperatures approaching the century mark for the 5th or 6th straight day.fortunately, the trees provided shelter from the direct sun. it is amazing to have such unspoiled land to wander through. it makes me want to go back in time to experience what it was like before we sprawled out and paved everything.  after about 45 minutes we reached the end of the bobbitt hole trail where the eno river makes a 90 degree turn and cascades over some rocks into a natural swimmimg hole.  


we climbed around on the rocks for a while, waded through the water looking for the perfect spot to take pictures and videos. there was one couple there with their dog, who of course, was enjoying the water. The man, whos name I did not catch offered to take a picture of the three of us. Now it was time to eat lunch, we unpacked our sandwiches and snacks. The girls discovered that the fish really like bread and are pretty vicious eaters.

we hung out and talked for a while but the peacefulness was starting to fade as a few more families and their dogs came to enjoy the swimming hole. on our return trip we took a different route on the trail that brought us along the banks of the eno river.


i think we may have started a new tradition of hiking on holidays. won't christmas and new years be interesting! 


check back for another family adventure after labor day.