South Carolina Botanical Gardens

Date: Saturday, September 27, 2009
Location / Map

Trails: Nature
Distance: about 1 mile
Time: 45 minutes

Rating: && (out of 5)

It was a rainy Saturday morning, but I wanted to get the boys out of the house for a little while. So I grabbed the backpack and took the kids to the SC Botanical Gardens for a quick hike. My "plan" was to let Andy ride in the backpack, and convince James that he wanted to walk. That actually worked pretty well, once we got past the initial whining. We looked for hiking sticks, then mushrooms...James just needs to have a job. There are so many little waterfalls and bridges on these trails, it makes for a good hike with small kids.

South Carolina Botanical Gardens

Date: Sunday, September 20, 2009
Location / Map

Trails: Nature
Distance: about 1 mile
Time: 30 minutes

Rating: && (out of 5)

On this Sunday afternoon, Kerri took James to see "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" at the Clemson Little Theater. When Andy woke up from his nap, I took him to the grocery store, and then to the South Carolina Botanical Gardens to attempt a hike. I say attempt, because 1) it was raining outside, and 2) I still wasn't sure how Andy would handle riding in the backpack, even though he did pretty well the last time.

We lucked out, because the rain stopped. There were only a couple of people on the trails. And it turns out Andy really likes riding in our Kelty backpack. As we passed by the wet branches, the water sometimes showered down on us...Andy thought this was great! The whole time, he was "talking" and giggling.

I can't really say what trail or series of paths we took. If you've ever been to the SCBG you'll probably understand why. They have a pretty large series of pathways and nothing is really marked. Lots of times, you're not even totally sure you're on an official trail. But I can say, we parked in the main lot near Perimeter Road, right next to the main steps where the bell is located. Then we went downhill to the left of the amphitheater, and crossed over a bridge. From there, we more-or-less made a short loop, and back up the hill to the car. Lots of fun!

Keowee-Toxaway State Park

Date: Saturday, September 12, 2009
Location / Map

Trails: Natural Bridge
Distance: 1.5 miles
Time: 45 minutes

Rating: &&& (out of 5)

Really, for the last couple of weeks we've had great weather - sunny, cool (relatively), and dry. Today was no different. James had a birthday party to attend, so Andy and I took the backpack and went for a hike. Alas, I forgot the camera, so no pictures. But Andy had such a great time! He "talked" the whole time, which sounded mostly like "uh-oh...uh-oh...uh-oh." We met some really nice people along the way. We took the Natural Bridge loop trail in a clockwise direction, which meant we took the steepest part going downhill, and soon reached the Poe Creek. Andy was just watching the water and pointing, and he seemed very excited about the small waterfalls. Andy didn't care, but I noticed a lot of spider webs (being tall and early, I got to knock them all down) and crazy-looking mushrooms. After crossing Poe Creek, we climbed the "stairs" and crossed the natural bridge after which this trail is named. On the way back up to the parking lot, we saw several other hikers...Andy blew them all kisses, his new thing. I was sweating pretty good when we got back to the car, but at least Andy is a lot lighter than James! A great time!

Mountain View Park

Date: Monday, September 7, 2009
Location / Map

Trails: Walking
Distance: 1 mile
Time: 25 minutes

Rating: && (out of 5)

It was Labor Day, and we had some very nice weather in Clemson. In the afternoon, after naptime, we took the short drive to Mountain View Park with the kids. They both do very well in the backpacks. A very nice 1-mile hike!