Hiking Beaver Lake

Yesterday was such a great day that we decided to head over to Pocahontas State Park. Dynamo went for a ride on his bike while Charlie and I hiked around Beaver Lake.



Charlie was so excited to get out on the trails to celebrate his 3rd birthday! There were lots of dogs and people out enjoying the beautiful day!!



It was all I could do to keep Charlie from jumping in the water! I knew it was way too cold for that!!



But, I did let him get his paws damp!



The sun shining down from above was so bright and the air was so crisp! We just felt so rejuvenated being outside with all the goodness around! I just loved the bright green moss amidst all of the brown leaves!



Charlie did not like having to stop for pictures, but I just wanted to enjoy the warmth of the sun!



The hill at the lake had such beautiful moss! I made him pose for a few pics there!



We stopped at the top of the dam on Beaver Lake! The water was rushing over. I didn't want Charlie getting too close!



Next, we went over to the boat ramp area to wait on Dynamo.





Eventually Dynamo came riding in like a knight in shining armor!!



We had a wonderful time enjoying the park! Charlie got an over 4 mile hike in!!

Hope your weekend was fantastic!

This is the Day!

This past weekend could easily be described by the song "This is the Day (that the Lord hath made)". It really was glorious to be outside in the fresh air!



Charlie could barely stand the wait from the time we mentioned the word, "park," at the house!



There was no holding him back once we got there! First, we hiked the Beaver Lake Trail at Poco. This goes around the lake and is about the distance of a 5k.



The trees were starting to lose their leaves and change color!



And, Charlie wanted to just get going! No time to stop and take pictures, mom!

There are quite a few pretty bridges/walkways around the lake! The sun just glistens on the leaves.



And, there are always others walking with their fur-children!! This was Paxton!



This is Charlie's favorite spot in the park because he can get wet! And, you know how much that little man loves water!



We even let him off-leash here to fully enjoy the experience!



There's so much splashing and running to do at this spot!



It comes almost in the middle of the hike, so it's the perfect spot to cool down!



He says to us, "Do we have to move on now?"



It really was glorious at the Park. People were all around hiking, biking, and enjoying the VA Hops and Harvest Festival.



We finished up the Beaver Lake Trail and Charlie still wanted to venture around some more!



We looked for the snake family at the bridge by the dam!





Then, we headed over to hike Forest Exploration Trail to see 'split rock.'



There were kayakers enjoying the water!



Then, we finally made it there!



What a blessing to have our health to be able to enjoy these wonderful places on earth! We wrapped up with about 8 miles and Charlie was still ready to go more! Not me! Time for a break!

A bike and a hike!

We were so excited to be able to catch up with our friend Mountain Bike Mike (MBM) on Saturday morning for an early ride! Schedules haven't allowed us to catch up and ride together for a while! It was a lovely morning to have our trio back riding at the Park.



We hit our usual Lakeview Trails and it was truly a glorious morning!



We had missed the singletrack and our riding buddy! I love to take pics here on LV II. Look at Dynamo go!



We stopped and chatted at our usual spots!



Hopefully we can get back to our normal spring riding with friends. And, hopefully it will be a little warmer too!



The best part about the early morning ride was the smell of campfires and breakfast cooking! It just smells soooo good!

After our 13 mile ride in the morning we met up with our friend Elise and Mariooochee, their dogs, and their new baby boy for a hike around Beaver Lake!



Three dogs, four adults, and a baby managed to make it the entire 3 plus miles around!



The dogs were so excited when we got to the little beach!





A little swim time (not by her choice though!)...





Shake it off!



Roll in it...



They were loving it! Look at our bubble boy!







After the hike we hung out and Baby B got to eat...



...and got some lovin' from his mommy...



He's even figuring out where his thumb is now...



What a lovely Saturday to be outside! Especially with friends!