Falling water

I can't take the heat. So on August weekends, I prefer hiking trails that wind along streams, trails that lead to waterfalls and pools of cold water. Just the sound of water beating against rock and sloshing downstream makes me feel cooler. Even though trails that follow gorges tend to be a bit more strenuous -- we are always walking up or down a steep incline -- it's worth the extra sweat to be able to stop to wade in cold clear water or duck our heads into the spraying mist of a waterfall or plunge right into rushing chilly water.

Last weekend, we explored a quiet trail that took us past several waterfalls, with a shallow stream that was perfect for wading. Shaggy Hair Boy looked at the first waterfall carefully before deciding to slide down the rock with all that water. Even just sitting on the rocks near the waterfalls was delightfully cool, and the patches of sun on the flat rock felt great after we were wet.

The kids had started the hike at a fast pace, pulling way ahead of their parents, but soon they stopped to skip stones and play in the water. On a bridge that crossed the stream, the kids began playing a game with Shaggy Hair's sandals -- tossing the sandals upstream and letting them float downstream a little way before performing dramatic rescues. I took some photos, explored one of the waterfalls, and then sat on a rock in the shade with my husband. A lazy August afternoon.



If you look carefully, you can see all four of my children in this photo. Boy in Black is in the black shirt, of course, With-a-Why in the red shirt, Shaggy Hair in the blue shirt, and my Wonderful Smart Beautiful Daughter is sitting in the shadows under the bridge.