Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Pilot Mountain

I feel like we got away with something. The kids had Monday off of school for a Teacher Workday. Andrew took a vacation day. And we had the funnest little family outing. And it wasn't even a holiday. Woo hoo!

We drove to Pilot Mountain, NC. It was gorgeous! The leaves are breathtaking. And you get to drive all the way up to the top. It's not much of a mountain compared to the ones we're used to out west, but it definitely stands out in this rolling landscape. There aren't many opportunities to see the horizon in NC. Up there, you can see it all. And I just wanted to drink it all in.

Here's a pic of the mountain in the distance.
And the trees on the sides of the road.
And the top of Brandon's noggin.

Here are some of the views from the top:


It was FREEZING when we first got there.
We even saw a few snow flurries.
We packed a picnic lunch, but ate in the van.

Caroline didn't mind the cold a bit.
She was SO happy the whole time we were up there.

They have hiking trails, some of which
are perfect for little families.
Even when one of your family members is
being grumpy and complaining and whining
and doesn't want to hike.
But I won't name any names.
Don't these two look cute together?
(Yes, this was totally staged and they
are rarely this lovey-dovey with each other.)


We took a trail that was labeled as 8/10 of a mile.
Sounds short and easy, right? At least I thought so.
It took a lot longer than I expected.
I had flashes of "I Shouldn't Be Alive" going through
my mind. I could just see the headlines:
Family of five survives for three days while trapped
on the sheer cliffs of Pilot Mountain.
Thankfully, our hike was uneventful.

Our trail went all around this pinnacle
that you can see in the background.

Andrew wants to make this a yearly
tradition. I'm SO on board with that.

We took some family pics.
I think these are the first ones of all of us
together since Caroline's birth pics.
I found myself thinking, "Are all of those OUR kids?"
(thanks, Destiny, for the photoshop job!)

It's just about impossible to get a five month old
to look at a camera that's sitting on a tripod.
But at least she isn't screaming, sleep, or sticking
her tongue out. We'll take it.

I realized that even though I take all three kids all over town with me, we haven't done many fun things as a whole family since C was born. Both Brandon and Whit have mentioned this little day trip in their prayers. "Thank thee that we could go up to the mountains." "Please bless that we can go back to Pilot Mountain." So sweet.

13 comments:

shelley said...

they have great camping facilities there too. maybe next year you could make the trip an over-nighter. laughed out loud at the comment that the holding hands picture was staged. way to keep it real!

Anonymous said...

what breathtaking pictures - oh the beauty of autumn! Loved your family pictures - everyone looks so hale and hearty and handsome and beautiful. Caroline is getting so old, she's adorable and Brandon and Whitney are getting so big too - it goes by so fast...
XO
Grandma Sweat

heather n said...

How fun! Isn't it funny how just a little outing - and the kids love it. Just goes to show we don't have to spend a lot of money and the kids will still like it.

jax from the harmon squad said...

What a good-looking family! Rob and I need to take Max up there- we actually had our wedding reception down in the foothills of that mountain just 'cause it's so beautiful up there.

Ang said...

What beautiful pictures! You look especially fetching, Andi, all bejeweled. I think family pictures in the autumn are the best.

Sandy said...

What a neat place! How fun to have a little day off with the whole family! I have to ask, though...do you and Andrew always wear matching outfits when you go out together?:)

Erika said...

You guys look so happy:) On our way to Ohio this past summer we had to drive past Pilot Mountain and I told Jeremy that I wanted to go there as a family. It's great to see that it met your approval:)

Natalie said...

We love hiking. I am glad you guys had fun. Caroline looks so cute all bundled up.

Anonymous said...

Those leaves are beautiful. You guys always do such fun stuff. Don't you love pictures with the Baby Bjorn when the light reflects off the front of it?

The Normal Mormon Husband said...

Is my face really that fat? I mean, seriously. Did I have an allergic reaction to lunch? Were you using some funky distorting camera lens? Why was I never informed that my face was perfectly circular?

Joey/Denny/Emma said...

Beautiful, beautiful pictures. And isn't Pilot Mountain the inspiration for "Mt. Pilot" in the Andy Griffith show?

andrea said...

Denny--I don't watch that show, but I'm sure you're right. He grew up not far from Pilot Mountain in a little town called Mt. Airy.

Way to go with the Andy Griffith trivia!

The Oregonians said...

Gorgeous scenery, beautiful people.
Thanks for sharing.
Next year: Family pic atop
Mt. Timpanogos? Mt. Emily?
Mt.Hood? Mt. Ranier? Mt. Rushmore?