Weekend in the Mountains

Wes completed his two weeks of reintegration training last week, so we are spending our long weekend in a cabin in the mountains of north Georgia surrounded by water falls and hiking trails.

This morning we hiked a trail to see Anna Ruby Falls. Keagan was not impressed with the idea of hiking to the top of a mountain once he learned that we were using a trail and not "using our fingers" to scale the side of the mountain. We have had some pretty adventuresome vacation trips, but I don't know how he ever believed I would let him repel.

Then we hiked a path around Unicoi Lake. This was more to Evan's liking because without a marked trail he was free to roam and explore. I think he secretly hoped he would encounter a black bear.

We ended our nature hike on the Chattahoochee River. Thankfully we never encountered that bear. 

I would be lying if I told you the weekend trip was planned around a quest to reconnect with nature. I really wanted to see the Alpine Village of Helen, designed to look like a small Bavarian village, and reconnect with my love of all things German. 

After eating spaetzle suppen for lunch and sharing apple fritters for desert, Evan wistfully commented,
 "Germany must be a wonderful place." This clearly means that I must do my best to ensure Evan has the opportunity to see for himself how wonderful Germany can be. Obviously, I must plan a trip to the boys' homeland in the very near future...the sacrifices we make as parents.