Yesterday, my family and I decided to take a nice hike while vacationing. We headed out to the Shenandoah National Park near Elkton, VA, and chose a 2.6 mile path, which had a beautiful waterfall at the turnaround point. To paint the picture, there were 2 teenage boys, 3 9 year olds, and my 2 year old son in tow on this trip. Along with myself, my husband, my sister-in-law, and brother-in-law. There were little streams to cross, logs to get over, and other minor obstacles along the path, which was mostly down hill (on the way there) and seemed long, but not too difficult to maneuver, while holding the hand of/carrying a 2 year old along the way. We saw some pretty orange and black centipedes that scared the living daylights out of my 9 year old daughter, and, upon arriving, we saw a group of 5 rattlesnakes…which somehow scared her much less that the 4 inch centipedes. Go figure. Aggressive poisonous snakes vs. harmless colorful bug-creatures.
The view was beautiful (see below). They call this the “South River” waterfall. So, if you’re ever wondering around Virginia looking for a decent hike and a pretty view… here ya go.
We turned around to head back, just around my 2 year old’s normal nap time…and right on cue, he fell asleep on his daddy’s shoulders not long after we began ascending our way back to the car. Did I mention the hike back was all up hill, and he would have to be carried the whole way? (all 32 lbs of him)
The hike was lovely on the way there. It was TORTURE on the way back. I hauled myself about 3/4 of the way up and then suddenly reached a point where my body just could not physically make it any further. I had to stop and rest. I got dizzy, nauseous, light headed, and I could literally hear my heart beating, it was beating so hard and fast. The last quarter of the return hike was very rough. I stopped periodically, but there were really times I wasn’t sure I could make it another step… BUT I DID! I stopped along the way to rest, but I MADE IT! I HIKED 1.3 miles UP HILL and didn’t die or evaporate or fall off the side of the mountain. And that, folks, is my victory story for the day 🙂 I really, really wanted to be the person who can do anything..but i had a humbling experience that made me realize that I’ve really still got a long way to go. But, had it not been for the last 6 months of working out, I would never have made it back. Or, at least, not without the assistance of an EMT and/or rescue helicopter 🙂
In the end. I burned about 1200 calories in that 3 hour hike. AWESOME! Take a look at the beautiful view!
Mommy's on a diet 
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