The Path Less Traveled

While Daddy was in Arkansas getting some prep work done on the lease in preparation for opening day of duck season, Carly and I decided to have our own little adventure.  We went to the Tellico River and "mini-bouldered."

I thought about helmets while Carly scaled this one.  Next time!

This girl may fuss a little when it comes to riding bikes or hiking well-defined trail, but when big rocks and water are present, she is all smiles.  We "creek-walked/bouldered/butt-slid for about 2 hours along the Tellico and one of its tributaries.  I had an absolute blast!  Carly has got Mountain Goat skills; she slipped only once.

This little fall was about a mile in on one of Tellico's tributaries.

We wanted to see what was just above the falls, but the two options were very tricky.  Me, being "The Worrier," opted to not push our luck today.  Having another adult along would have made it more negotiable.  We will be back to tackle it later.

 

We stopped and ate lunch.  The fish were pretty happy about that as they got their first taste of Cheez-Its.

The part of mothering I absolutely love!

 Carly's leaping abilities amaze me.  On one particular water crossing, she cleaned a 4 1/2 foot jump ... from a standstill.  I opted for the easier route; I knew my limits!

As we were scaling a rather large and technically challenging rock, Carly stated that if Daddy were here, he would be saying, "Be careful, be careful, be careful, be careful ..."  What she didn't realize is that what was going through my mind on auto repeat.

Not your typical girls' day out.

Wow!  You CAN have fun without a bike being involved.