Sound Bites & Snap Shots

Bill came back from the May Fall Creek Falls camping trip hoping to return with Mason very soon.  Since the forecast was good and Bill was off again, early this morning we jumped in the car and drove four hours to the park. 

We covered a lot of the same ground that Bill and the scouts did when they visited, so some of these pictures may look familiar.  I can’t distinguish which waterfall is which but I can say they were all pretty amazing.

There are two suspension bridges and each can support six people at a time.  I wouldn’t say they are rickety but I will say that they swing a lot. 

Yes, there is wildlife.  I will insert here the story of things that people should not do around wildlife.  The deer were plentiful at Fall Creek Falls and we happened to see one out near a picnic area.  Nearby was a family with an 18 month old toddler.  The toddler was fascinated by the deer and was following it around.  We noticed the baby’s parent videoing the toddler as she approached the deer.  Bill got extremely concerned for the baby’s safety because deer behave unpredictably when threatened.  Even though we know a toddler is likely harmless, the deer does not. As we drove by, Bill rolled down the window and yelled to them, “Don’t do that!!! Your baby is in danger!!! Don’t let her follow the deer!!!  She will get hurt!!!”

Bill is not one to interfere or meddle in other people’s affairs so the fact that he jumped in stresses how dangerous this situation was.  He yelled at the parent several times but she continued to video and look at us in bewilderment.  We did see the deer charge the baby as Bill predicted but after several warnings, we drove off.  Hopefully, no one was hurt.  This was a valuable teaching moment for Mason as well. 

We hiked down the same cable trail as the scouts did.  It was an adventurous hike and one that I am proud I was able to do. 

At the base of that cable trail was a pool of water.  Mason skipped a bunch of rocks and eventually ended up just getting in the water.  He loves creek walking and took full advantage since it was so hot.  When it was time, we all sat on the rocks and had lunch. 

This second waterfall was not crowded at all.  In fact, we might have been the only ones there.  The peace and serenity of the park was such a treat.

After Bill and Mason crossed the log, Bill turned around and watched me to make sure I made it safely across.

I had to ham it up and practice my Karate Kid moves on the log.  Thankfully, I didn’t fall in.

At one point, we needed to cross from water to get where we wanted to be. Mason and Bill walked around a bunch of giant boulders but I saw a challenge.  I am not sure what prompted me to attempt to scale the rocks but I saved myself a walk and gave myself a new adventure. 

This is the second of the two suspension bridges were amazing.  You get a real sense of how green and lush things were. 

The last part of our day ended with the hike to the biggest waterfall in the park.  We walked down countless stairs—so many flights! Some of the descent was paved and other parts were more rugged. Just after we made it to the base of the waterfall, we saw the gray skies were about to open up.  We scurried back toward the stairs and found a covered area in the rocks.  We watched the rain fall and tried to wait for the showers to pass. Eventually it lightened up enough for us to begin our long trek back up the stairs and to the car for the drive home.

This trip was definitely worth the drive.  I now know why Bill was so enthusiastic about brining us back here and I hope that one day we will go back and explore more.