Family Hike

We currently live in a charming town right outside of Black Mountain called Montreat.  It is home to, among other things, a conference center, a few shops, a couple churches, a college, an aggressive swan, and numerous hiking and biking trails.  We are here temporarily in an old house called "Grandma's." It has been humorous to us how many of our friends either lived here or know someone who lived here at some point during their college years.  We are grateful to be in the 'bunk bed' house, as Alathea calls it, because it has plenty of space, is super close to church and school, and is within walking distance of a great playground for the kids.

This is the only picture I have of the house but I will get a better one soon

 Montreat also offers some great hiking and biking trails.  Hayne is the mountain biker in this family and has enjoyed being able to go out right from our house to the trails.  This past Saturday was a beautiful fall day in the mountains and we decided to take the kids for a hike up Lookout Trail.  The trail is 3/4 of a mile, uphill most the way.  Hayne took Cord in a backpack and Laela hiked.  I figured I would end up carrying her most of the way, but she was a champ and did the whole thing on her own.  She absolutely loved it and would often look for more challenging ways to climb.  In the end, we had a wonderful family outing and were kicking ourselves for the fact that we don't do it more often.

Posing for the camera:)

Ta Da!!

Looking at Black Mountain

Montreat

Ready to head down the mountain.