An adventure to Cooper's Rock State Park began Saturday morning. We drove to Morgantown in hopes of visiting the Core Arboretum at the university. We got lost driving around town. We were close to the arboretum, but never found the parking lot. Traffic was not something we really wanted to deal with, so we aborted the mission and headed to Heavenly Ham for some picnic items.
We arrived at Heavenly Ham, and decided to eat there instead of waiting until we got to the park because we were hungry at that moment. When we got to the park we went to the overlook, and stood on Cooper's rock. The view from the rock is of the Cheat River. We saw a ground skink scurrying along the rocks looking for a sunny place to rest. We also saw an old woman hiker stretched out for a nap on the rocks. The weather was in the low seventies with a bright blue sky. A few puffs of cumulus clouds were drifting along.
Cooper's Rock has some great trails. We decided to hike out to Rock City, which is an area with lots of large rock formations. Every state park I've been to has crappy maps. I am always paranoid of getting lost in the woods, which adds some anxiety to what should be an enjoyable activity. We started off looking for Rock city trail, and found Rattle snake trail. Brian was bouncing from rock to rock, and we were not on a marked trail for a bit. I had to fight down a fit of anxiety. I am all for following my man, because I have a right and left directional issue. But it was a matter of trust I suppose, for I do not want to be lost in the woods with a six year old. We did get on a trail marked with blue dots after a bit, and I could enjoy the hike.
As we were walking along Bethany stopped to investigate everything. She came home with pockets full of little things. Her prize find was a hatched out chrysalis. Brian's goal was to help mother nature along by knocking down every dead tree and branch he came across. Bethany and I would roll our eyes and get out of the way of falling limbs. I spent my time looking for interesting rock formations and flowers. At one point Bethany was singing some little songs, when she stopped and said, "Mom, I love hiking. Nature comes to you, and you come to nature." She is definitely my girl. We hiked for about four hours, and found our way back to the car. Then we drove to Cracker Barrel for dinner. Brian and Bethany played checkers on the porch. I found some clothes on sale. Our first big hike with Bethany was fabulous.
An adventure to Cooper's Rock State Park began Saturday morning. We drove to Morgantown in hopes of visiting the Core Arboretum at the university. We got lost driving around town. We were close to the arboretum, but never found the parking lot. Traffic was not something we really wanted to deal with, so we aborted the mission and headed to Heavenly Ham for some picnic items.
We arrived at Heavenly Ham, and decided to eat there instead of waiting until we got to the park because we were hungry at that moment. When we got to the park we went to the overlook, and stood on Cooper's rock. The view from the rock is of the Cheat River. We saw a ground skink scurrying along the rocks looking for a sunny place to rest. We also saw an old woman hiker stretched out for a nap on the rocks. The weather was in the low seventies with a bright blue sky. A few puffs of cumulus clouds were drifting along.
Cooper's Rock has some great trails. We decided to hike out to Rock City, which is an area with lots of large rock formations. Every state park I've been to has crappy maps. I am always paranoid of getting lost in the woods, which adds some anxiety to what should be an enjoyable activity. We started off looking for Rock city trail, and found Rattle snake trail. Brian was bouncing from rock to rock, and we were not on a marked trail for a bit. I had to fight down a fit of anxiety. I am all for following my man, because I have a right and left directional issue. But it was a matter of trust I suppose, for I do not want to be lost in the woods with a six year old. We did get on a trail marked with blue dots after a bit, and I could enjoy the hike.
As we were walking along Bethany stopped to investigate everything. She came home with pockets full of little things. Her prize find was a hatched out chrysalis. Brian's goal was to help mother nature along by knocking down every dead tree and branch he came across. Bethany and I would roll our eyes and get out of the way of falling limbs. I spent my time looking for interesting rock formations and flowers. At one point Bethany was singing some little songs, when she stopped and said, "Mom, I love hiking. Nature comes to you, and you come to nature." She is definitely my girl. We hiked for about four hours, and found our way back to the car. Then we drove to Cracker Barrel for dinner. Brian and Bethany played checkers on the porch. I found some clothes on sale. Our first big hike with Bethany was fabulous.
I'm so glad that Bethany likes to hike! You'll be in for a lot more fun adventures with her as she grows up--she's definitely caught your love of nature. We went hiking in Summersville over Memorial day and to Babcock State Park. Very nice! We have beautiful state parks in WV--even if the maps are poor.
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