Gans Creek Hike

May 27, 2017

I am so happy to be writing this post. I'm happy because I've been sitting on several blog posts that I've wanted to finish but have been just so incredibly busy with end of school events for both the boys and me. I'm especially happy to be writing this post in particular because it means that we are finally all done with the school year. My classroom is packed up and cleaned out. Lex and Eli finished 1st grade and kindergarten respectively. And we are ready to hit summer hard.

I've been too busy to write, but we haven't been too busy to hike. We've actually been to some really cool places. We recently revisited Gans Creek Trails, a part of Rock Bridge State Park. We've hiked here several times before. We went on a winter hike here in 2016 and also went in at a different trail head and had an amazing hike in which we completed one of the loops. We've completed several of the loops on this trail system and always love the views.

So in early May, we ventured out to explore a new loop. It had literally just rained for what seemed like 40 days and 40 nights and we were done with it and ready to hike.

Always the climber, Eli was perched on this rock before we even left the parking lot.

And Lex was getting one last rest in before we took off.

The rain made everything full and green. But since the temperatures are still cool, we didn't have to worry about bugs!

This trail is so well maintained, as are the majority of trails we have hiked in the Missouri Conservation System.

You may have seen a trend in my last several hiking posts. Eli is always, always, always in the front. And Lex doesn't even fight him on it. It's like Eli has assigned himself to be permanent line leader on the trail. Occasionally, after a stop or something, someone will get in front of him, and he will run past us to resume his position.

So that's why his head is in every picture.

Whoops. Wrong way.

Two paths diverged in the woods...

According to my Geotracker App, we were starting to curve back towards our starting point on the loop when we heard the sound of water and saw a little overgrown trail offshoot leading towards it. Well of course we followed it and spent a little while in the amazing spot by the running creek.

It took no more than 1 minute flat for the boys' shoes to be off and for them to be in the water.

In went Eli.

And Lex soon followed. Though there is no picture representation of him actually in the water, I promise he was in there.

The current was moving so much that Jeremy could drop in a piece of wood and the boys could stand on rocks downstream and try to catch it and then run back up the rocky shore to give it back to him. That was entertaining for quite a while.