Back Home: A Quiet 4th

The Lovely Daughter and I took off last Thursday afternoon, spent an hour with my dad in southern Ohio, and made it to southern Kentucky while it was still light outside.

On Friday we reached Brevard NC in time for a delightful cafe lunch, and then I dropped her off at her camp for an afternoon of planning and orientation activities.  Bursts of delightful laughter filled the Gatehouse as she and other previous years' counselors recognized one another, and she seemed really happy to be "home."

I spent the afternoon hiking Graveyard Fields so that I could scatter some of Josh's ashes in places to which he and I had hiked several years ago ~ and, on other occasions, all five of us together, and sometimes me alone.  I got lost a couple of times, so it was three hours and five miles of rigorous (for me, anyway) hiking before I made my way back up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and an eventual  dinner with my girl.  

Saturday I got up very early to scatter more ashes at Looking Glass Falls, where our children spent many happy summer afternoons playing in the pool and streams, and then the Counselor and I hit the trail for a hike and a climb and a scramble with ropes to a high overlook.  I think her brother would be happy with the places we found for him.  I myself am somewhat the worse for the wear, pretty bruised and scraped up from a slight tumble toward the top of the overlook, and stiff all over from two days spent hiking alone on mountain trails and through mountain streams, trying not to twist or sprain or break anything while in slippery and isolated locales.

I'll  post some pictures and some thoughts later.  Suffice it to say that, while I'm fine, I'm hiding out from 4th of July revelers today.

Image: Back for a 7th summer at camp!