The Fun Mom – Take A Hike!?

It is said, in my family, that I was a reluctant hiker as a child. I find this difficult, if not impossible, to believe. What’s not to like about walking uphill for an hour to see yet ANOTHER beautiful waterfall? This was a common activity for my parents, as we traveled up the Blue Ridge parkway in a pop-up camper for one week each summer. The North Carolina mountains held such fascination for we flat-earthed Floridians, but for me, hiking up those mountains was an acquired taste. They say I complained all the way up and all the way back down. I’m sure they would have observed my recent hike with our kids up Kennesaw Mountain with barely restrained smugness.

My sister-in-law was visiting from Orlando before Thanksgiving, and my husband made the mistake of asking the children what they wanted to do. (Better to just tell them what we’re doing than let them think they have a choice.) It was an overcast autumn day on the mountain, and the hike was a mildly challenging 1.2 miles. My youngest daughter got with the program pretty quickly, searching for leaves, acorns and rocks, and discussing them with her aunt. The older one, ever like her mother, complained for the first half of the trek. To her credit though, when I asked what had happened to my “traveling trooper” (we went on a trip to Europe recently, where she walked for miles every day and carried her own backpack), she turned it right around. She insisted that she had not been complaining, simply imparting information. She completed the hike with enthusiasm. When we reached the top, we enjoyed the great view, picking out Marietta landmarks

and Stone Mountain way in the distance. The best part was getting outside together, away from the distractions of home, and enjoying something we could all do together. And it was free! What does your family like to do when you have visitors in town?

Find out more about the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, where the Atlanta Campaign began, by visiting http://www.nps.gov/kemo/index.htm.

Erica Rountree is a freelance writer who has lived in the East Cobb area for 15 years. Her two elementary-aged daughters enjoy outsmarting her, driving her to drink too much sweet tea and teaching her to live in the moment