September 7th began with a drive to the trailhead for Takkakaw Falls. The hike to the falls in only a mile or so- the perfect length for a 4 and 2 year old ☺ The falls were spectacular!! Reaching 1260 feet at it's highest point, it is truly an unbelievable sight to see. I forgot to mention that I had broken my two littlest toes a week before the trip which made it a little hard to scramble up loose rock, so Rob took the boys and climbed up a bit further and I stayed behind and took pictures.
After our hike, we ate lunch next the river that flowed from the falls, and then drove up to Emerald Lake. Along the way, we stopped at a roadside sight to see a really neat canyon. The canyon was like nothing I’ve ever seen. Thousands of years of erosion had formed potholes in the river’s bedrock and left a bridge-like rock formation.
It was here, that the really scary thing happened on the trip. This canyon is pretty dangerous and I had this really nervous feeling the moment we got out of our car, looking around and seeing all the places where the boys could easily fall right down into the deep canyon walls and be whisked away in the river. We got out and looked around for a bit. I decided to take Gid back to the car because he was acting cranky. While heading back to the car, Gideon decided he was going to run off into the woods, back toward the canyon. I called for him, which only made him run away faster. I realized the direction he was going so I started to run after him and called in my “scary mom” voice which usually makes him stop in his tracks. Not this time for out little two year old who had skipped one too many naps during the past week. I had this incredible surge of running power and I sprinted after him despite my injured toes. I grabbed the back of his collar the moment we were literally about to plummet over the edge of a thirty or forty foot drop down into the river. It was the most horrifying and intense experience I’ve ever had as a mom. I was so glad he was okay and grateful that I’d felt prompted to run as fast as I did. If I’d relied on past experiences when my “scary mom” voice worked, Gideon very well would have died. I was so in shock after this experience that I was shaking for the next 30 minutes and sick to my stomach- on the verge of throwing up. Even, just now, as I write, I feel sick to my stomach. I think Gideon definitely learned a lesson, as did I. He didn't fully comprehend what would have happened had I not tackled him, but through my tears of fear and love, I think he learned some kind of lesson. I love my boys so much. Having a brush with tragedy like that just made me cherish my little Gid all the more.
Emerald lake was neat and, well, pretty emerald colored. There is a historic boathouse there that we peeked into. We ended up relaxing on the shore of the lake. The boys had a terrific time playing in the sand and getting wet. Jasper had his first skinny-dipping experience. He decided he wanted to swim and we only had the one pair of underwear for him, so decided to keep it dry for the ride home. He LOVED swimming naked, that’s for sure. I think he has a new favorite summertime activity.
After the lake, we headed back to camp. We had another delicious campfire dinner of curry and rice. We even brought some corn we had grown in our garden and roasted in over the campfire (like I’d learned in Africa). The perfect end to a long, exhausting, scary, and also good day.
At the end of each day, there was always some of this that went on in the tent:
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