Oh, this hike!

It was one I really didn't want to do, but turned out to be my best one yet, because it absolutely connected me to some major, MAJOR, inner messages that I truly, TRULY, needed deeper awareness on.

D and I planned to do this one while the kids were in school, so we could explore nature without the kiddos whining to go back home.

Yep...as time went on, they weren't excited to take hikes anymore and they never wanted to go when we would mention "lets go hiking!" to them. Ha!

We planned it for our last week together when D would be officially done with school before our move AND while the kiddos were still in school before they were officially out for summer break and we were officially on our way back to New Orleans.

Insert lots of sad emoji faces here! Ha!

Well, the week before our "planned" hike, C came down with the stomach flu (on Mother's Day to be exact!), which I ended up catching the following Friday, six days before our "planned" hike.

Well...let me tell you, that stomach flu kicked me in the ass!!

I haven't had the stomach flu in YEARS!!

I was down for days!! And every single one of those days, it was BEAUTIFUL outside!!

I was supposed to be enjoying our last days in Crozet and Charlottesville by going on my last day dates with D, hitting up restaurants we hadn't been to yet for lunch and just BEing together before we moved and his grueling work schedule began again. I was SO mad!!

By the time Thursday rolled around for our "planned" hike, I was just starting to feel better. I was just starting to get my energy back AND I was just starting to eat food beyond bread, rice, crackers and Gatorade.

And because of that, there was NO WAY I was going to hike up a steep mountain without having my energy and desire for food back 100%.

I was SO bummed!!! Because, like I said, that day we were supposed to go was absolutely GORGEOUS!!!

Not one cloud in the sky!!

And, on top of that, I wasn't sure if we'd have time for another day to get away for hike with all the preparations beginning to start for our "just days away" move back to New Orleans coming up!

The following Tuesday it was RAINY!! And D said, right after I dropped the kids off at school, "We're doin' it!! We're going hiking today!!"

I was like, "We are!! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

I SO didn't want to go. I had the upcoming move and the kids last minute school things to do on my mind and the thought of hiking up a steep mountain on a cloudy and rainy day just wasn't flying with me at all.

All I could think of was, "It's NOT going to be sunny! I'm not going to get ANY good pics! What's the point! Yeah...I don't want to go!!!"

Well...we went!!

And, gosh, it turned out to be the best thing I could have ever done!!!

On the Blue Ridge Parkway (our last drive from our house to here for who knows how long...sniff! sniff!), we had to keep pulling over to every overlook we passed so I could take pictures because I just LOVED how the clouds looked on the mountains.

OH, my heavens!! SO, SO awesome!!

It was the first time they were actually oh, so CLEAR!

Usually, every time we were up there, the mountains always looked a bit hazy.

As I stood there, SAVORING and snapping, I just couldn't help but think of how much I'm going to miss these beautiful mountains that I've grown to love.

It's been SO amazing watching them all year long and how everyday they ALWAYS looked different!!

From morning to night. They've been SO fun to watch and they showed me that even though I grew up a BEACH LOVER, I'm now officially a MOUNTAIN LOVER, too!!

Oh, nature...I just LOVE you!! I LOVE all of YOU!! :):)

We stopped again...because I mean...just LOOK at this view!!!

SO AWESOME!!

The second I snapped this, D yelled out from the car...BEAR!!!! I freaked and ran back to the car as fast as I could because, in my mind, I thought it was a BIG BEAR and I thought it was right by me!!!

The bear was actually a cub and it was further down the road. D saw it run across the road and as we drove up to get closer to it, it ran up a tree. We pulled up in front of the tree and it kept sticking its head out from the side of the tree trunk and would look at us. Then it ran off.

OH MY GOSH!!! COOLEST moment ever!!!

That little bear cub was just the cutest as it looked at us a few times. I'll never, ever, forget it's little face, cocked, looking at us. The best!!

We just wished the kids were with us because they would've loved that moment, too!! Oh gosh!!

We weren't able to get a pic or video because it was too dark in the trees to see it.

I know...booooooooo!!! Ha!

Then I made D drive back to the overlook so I get those mountain clouds again...and, like always, they looked completely different!!

It doesn't take long for change to happen! ;)

Obviously, I loved every view from this spot! :)

I could've sat there all day just watching the clouds go by! :)

I mean...truly, wherever I looked....it was GORGEOUS!!!

And then, finally, no more stopping, because we made it to Humpback Rocks! Woohoo!!

It's funny, because this hike, we were going to do with the kids back in the summer, but a man came up to us and told us it may be too much for the kiddos and that the hike next to it, Glass Hollow, would probably be better.

Glass Hollow was GREAT, but we thought, with everything we read, that the kids would have been fine. Well...after doing this hike, I'm SO glad we didn't take the kids.

And now, I'll always call that man our angel, because if he wasn't there that day, we probably would've hiked this one with the kids, and it would have been, very, very stressful for me and I just know all those rocks would have exhausted the kids

So, thank you, angel man!! You truly led us on the right path that day and we LOVED that hike, too!! We are forever grateful! :)

Hi, ho! Hi, ho! It's off to Humpback Rocks we go!

And oh my gosh!! I was mesmerized the second we started!!

The way the misty clouds looked in the green, green trees was absolutely AMAZING!!

And the way the rain made grooves in the ground as it had come down the mountain...what a sight to see!

AMAZING!!

As we started to get more and more into the hike, we started to get more and more into the mist from the clouds and I just couldn't stop snapping!

I'd never seen anything like it!

It just looked SO cool. And, at the same time, all we could hear was water dripping from the leaves and the birds chirping away.

It was SO peaceful and calming. Especially since this hike is super popular and we were pretty much the only ones there (we only passed three people the entire hike!). :)

When the squirrels would jump from tree to tree, it sounded like a rainstorm was starting. LOVED it so much!!

Then THIS!!!

OH MY GOSH!!! THIS!!!

THIS WAS AMAZING!!!!

Poor D! I kept making him stop so I could just take it all in. It was truly another beautiful sight to see and I didn't want to miss any of it!!

It was funny, too, because D didn't want to keep stopping. So he'd say to me, "Just take it when we come back!"

And I was like, "UMMMM!!! NO WAY!!! It'll look completely different on the way back and I won't even remember this spot on the way back...I have to get it now...I have to get what I'm seeing NOW!!!"

That's what I love about my camera...it helps me to STOP NOW!! To STOP when I see a moment that's making stop and smile!! And to just BE fully present in that moment!! To not just see it and continue to walk away from it. To actually stand there and not only snap it, but to FEEL it!! To snap what I'm FEELING!!!

My camera allows me to BE even more present to the moments that I love way longer than my mind would ever let me!!

And that's why I'll always snap in the moment and not wait to snap it at another time. Because when that other time comes...it might not be the same. It might not FEEL the same. And on this hike...that's EXACTLY what happened.

It was NOT the same on the way back. D and I spent the entire hike coming back way more focused on the slippery and wet rocks while making sure we were staying on the correct path back.

This hike was A LOT harder on the way down than up! So I'm glad I didn't listen to him and I listened to my photographer heart!

My heart ALWAYS knows!! ALWAYS!! :):)

And then, a heart rock was found!!

Which was crazy...because this time, I didn't even think about heart rocks.

Usually when the kids are with us, we talk about finding a heart rock right when we start a hike. But I think, because I was SO mesmerized by what I was seeing on this hike from the second we started, I was way more focused on the misty mountains than heart rocks.

So when D reminded me, I was like, "OH MY GOSH!! I can't believe I totally forgot to think about finding a heart rock!!"

Thank goodness one appeared! Which, I know I didn't need to fear, because, yes...they ALWAYS appear! ALWAYS!!

Onward we went with more misty mountain views to see!

Then we came across a muddy area that I needed to walk around a tree to get around. As soon as I started to make my turn, I saw this!!

A broken up acorn that made me STOP and SMILE. I just couldn't help but snap it as I saw how neat it looked from the squerril that ate into it and left it there. It looked absolutely perfect!!

Then, a few footsteps later, I saw these!!!

And then I stopped, again, to take it all in with my camera.

D was pretty much done with me at this point by saying, "Come on!!! Let's go!! We gotta get to the top!!! Let's go!! When we get to the top, then you can take your pics!! We came to see the view at the top!!"

And then I said, "OH MY GOSH!! YOU NEED A CAMERA!! It's not about the destination...it's about the journey!!! YOU NEED A CAMERA so you can SLOW DOWN and BE more in the moment and enJOY the journey more!!!"

And he said, "Nah!! I don't need a camera!"

Ha! Well...I think he does!!

It was this moment when I realized that I AM a photographer at heart. All I could think about when I saw the mushrooms was how cool they looked up against that dark brown bark of the tree...the way they stood out...their beautiful cream color next to the brown...nature is absolutely GORGEOUS and I have to photograph it!

Then I realized that when the kids are with us, they have NO problem stopping and snapping with me. They love it. So even if they were with us, it wouldn't have been a problem.

Now...D, he's always ahead of us...because what I know...he only cares about the end result. Which makes me giggle because I see how he and I are truly different when it comes to hikes and that him and I are always focused on two different things.

But...I used to be just like him! Racing to get to the end. Missing moments that are right in front me because I'm SO in my head and ONLY focused on the finish line and nothing else.

So when I saw how getting to the end was so much more important to him and how I was taking my time, just BEing in the moment, I saw how much I've truly changed and how much I've truly slowed down. It made my heart SO happy!

Because slowing down wasn't something I ever thought I could do. I thought I'd always be living my life in the fast lane and walking as fast as I could to get to who knows where!

But this hike! This hike showed me that I have changed...so much!! And I thank my camera (and my kids and the inner work that I've been doing for years!) for that!!

It truly is a tool that I'm SO thankful found me because I'm SO glad I'm not continuing to live my life racing to the finish line.

If I had never connected with my camera once becoming pregnant with C, I don't think I would've ever really understood what it truly means to BE PRESENT!!

In the past, I would have raced by those mushrooms or I probably wouldn't have seen that at all. And if I did, I probably would've thought, "COOL!" as I continued to whiz right by them.

But on this day, I SAW them!! I SAW their beauty!!

Like the way they look SO different from the mushrooms I usually see...how they look kind of like flowers and how the brown on top of them flatters the cream color underneath them so nicely.

It was their BEAUTY that made me STOP and SMILE and filled me with JOY as I slowed down to truly SAVOR them next to that beautiful, brown tree.

Because now, what I know for sure, when it comes to living life and when it comes to connecting with something that TRULY makes my heart sing and has me vibrating HIGH with BIG SMILES and HAPPY TINGLES, I'm going to do everything I can to BE PRESENT with it and to keep it in my life for as long as I can!!

I've spent way too many years following feelings that didn't leave me feeling good, which caused me to lose myself and what I love.

So now, when I feel JOY bursting from my heart from something I'm seeing or something I'm hearing or something I'm doing...I know that this IS my guide to helping me stay connected to ME and what I truly LOVE in life...and no one else can tell me otherwise!

I'm the only one who knows what feels good to ME!! Especially when I have NO idea when I'll see something like this again...since we have NO idea when we'll be back to the mountains again! ;)

After my SAVORing 'shrooms moment, we started getting more and more into the rocks area and, yet, again...was absolutely STUNNING!!

I was looking forward and then I stopped to snap what I was seeing to the left of me. Then Damian said again, "Let's GO!! You can get this on the way back!!"

I pretty much ignored him...hehe! Then, by chance, I turned to look behind me and I saw this magical light shining down through the trees and I was like OH MY GOSH!!! I can NOT not capture this!!! NO WAY!!!

If I hadn't stopped...if I hadn't turned and looked back, I would have NEVER seen the light shining down like that and there was NO WAY I was going to wait to take that one the way back, because, there was NO WAY it was going to look like that on the way back.

The light is always changing!! Something my photographer heart KNOWS for sure!! So yeah...I didn't wait!! And, I never will, no matter what D says..hehe!!

As we were getting closer to the top, the clouds were lifting and the green was blooming!

And then I found more hearts!!! Yaaay!!

It's always the best feeling when I stumble upon moments like this in nature!!

And then some familiar flower blooms!! Yaaay!!

I've snapped these beauties before, but I don't care! ;)

And more heart rocks!!

They all popped out at me at once. SO awesome!!

And then...we made it to the top!!!

Hip, hip hooray!! D was happy! ;)

WOWZA!!! SO beautiful!!

And, yeah, D was way ahead of me! LOL!!

As he found where his heart wanted to take him, I stayed low and just snapped what was around me.

I tried to climb up to where he was, but it scared me a bit. It was a little too steep for me. He kept telling me the view wasn't great because of all the clouds. Which, I was upset about, and knew was going to happen, before we even left house. But, now, in this moment, mindset has changed!!

As I stood there, snapping and savoring what I was seeing, I couldn't help but think of how WONDERFUL our journey was to this point.

I saw the coolest stuff and LOVED every second of our hike up. So the clouds messing up the view didn't bother me at all.

I had the best views of all as we made our way up and it filled my heart UP with SO much JOY!!

And seeing my man, up there on the mountain, was pretty freakin' awesome and it filled my heart UP with so much JOY, too!!

And not worrying about our kids falling and not having my nerves going crazy while holding their hands while walking around this part of the hike made me SO thankful that we could both enjoy this with a little more peace and calm in our hearts, too!

I LOVE having the kids with us, but when it comes to steep rocks up on a mountain never has my mind calm when they're with us.

So I took it all in, smiled BIG and then thought to myself, "This truly has been the best hike we've done yet and I'm SO glad we came!!"

Then on the way down, these were the only pics I got. Because, like I said, coming down was its own journey. One that had us navigating lots of slippery and wet rocks all while making sure we didn't lose track of the path back to the car (or break my ankle!!).

And, as you can see, the fog had lifted! Much different from how it looked on our way up! But still, just as beautiful! ;)

Then on the way to the car, I thought, "Man! I'm SO glad I stopped and took the pictures that I did. Because, like always, I never see the same moments on the way down that I saw on the way up!"

Then I sat in the car, all dirty and sweaty and wet and I couldn't help but think of every single hike we've done this past year has never, ever, been the same.

Not one!

They've all been unique in their own way and I see different things each and every time.

Then I thought, "WOW! And I didn't even want to go on this one!! Just because it wasn't sunny, I thought it wasn't going to be a great hike at all. I didn't think I'd get any beautiful pictures because it was so cloudy."

When, really, I consider this hike to be our best one yet!!

This hike woke me up to truly SEEing all the BEAUTY that comes through the rain and the clouds.

BEAUTY isn't only seen on SUNNY days...it's seen on CLOUDY and RAINY days, too!!

Then we tried a new brewery for lunch, called Devil's Backbone Brewery, which we absolutely loved and wished we had gone there sooner than right before we were about to move. We went home, picked up the kids and I was on a JOYous high for the rest of the day and night.

Every single hike we've done this past year in Virginia rejuvenated me.

Every single one!!

Not only because of being out in nature and surrounded by the rejuvenating oxygen provided by all the beautiful trees and everything else nature provides, but also because every hike re-ignited my LOVE for using my camera to help me slow down and CONNECT to the FEELING of everything that I absolutely LOVE in life!!

Nature AND my camera reconnects me back to ME and what fills my heart UP with JOY!!

And that night, I went bed, knowing in my heart, that I'll never, ever, let my DSLR camera gather dust again AND that I'll always LOVE being surrounded by the beauty of nature...rain or shine!!

Until next time...

Check out Our 1st Family Hike | Stony Man, VA here!
Check out Our 2nd Family Hike | Glass Hollow, VA here!
Check out Our 3rd Family Hike | White Oak Canyon Falls, VA here!
Check out Our 4th Family Hike | Blackrock Summit, VA here!

Why do I do take pictures? Because it's one of my favorite creative tools that easily pulls me out of my to-do list head and helps me to SAVOR (the feeling of) everything that makes me stop, smile and lights me UP with LOVE even more (something that's hard for me to do when my mind is running five miles ahead or behind the present moment)