Our hike started just down the street from our house. South Knoxville has 42.5 miles of Urban Wilderness trails. Some of these trails are practically in our backyard and are on land my husbands great-grandfather used to farm. So we hiked down to the creek where my husband used to play as a boy. We had our picnic next to the creek, then went wading in it.
Our hike there was less than ideal. There's nothing like trying to hike with a 6-year-old who insists he knows exactly where we are going and which paths to take when the truth is he hasn't the vaguest clue. He did not react kindly to our refusal to let him lead us in the wrong direction. Couple that with a potty-training 3-year-old who just wants to be carried and I'm sure I don't have to describe the looks Dennis and I were shooting each other and the litany of "Why did we think this was a good idea?" going through our minds.
BUT, when we finally got to the creek, we had a very pleasant time. The boys loved wading and we saw countless small fish, salamanders, and crawdads. Lennon found a large earth worm and we spent some time watching a dragonfly, too. The sound of the creek was very soothing and almost made me forget the hassle it was to hike there. Almost.
