In the spring of 2015, I set out on a mountain adventure with my teens. We wanted to explore the mostly mountainous 332-acre property that I bought in 2012. We packed our lunches and water, and I brought my camera to document the adventure with pictures and video.
The First Adventure With My Teens
The adventure began with my teenage son, Isaiah, figuring out how we could cross the creek flooded by the spring rain. He found a long board and set it up across the creek in a narrow spot. He bravely went across first and the board held his weight and he made it without being dashed into the cold rushing waters. I got this all on video, so be sure to scroll to the end to watch the video. My daughter, Ivana, went across next. She got annoyed that I was videoing the event. With the possibility of falling, I guess she wouldn’t want that recorded. After they were both safely across, I had Isaiah take my camera across. I trusted him more than I trusted myself. What if I fell off the board and ruined my camera? Happily, I made it across too.
Mountain Adventure With My Teens Begins
Once across the creek, the adventure to climb the mountain began. You can see in the featured image my teens making their way up the mountainside. It is exhausting work if you aren’t used to doing much cardio. It also helps to have strong legs and these two teens were always pumping iron at the gym. I was the slower one needing to rest more often.
The above picture is of the view from part-way up the mountain looking down on our metal building home. You can also see the creek which we had crossed.
Dressed For Adventure
Before going up the mountain, we had to plan how we would dress to keep our exposure to the dormant poison oak to a minimum. We were all allergic to it, so the best time to go up the mountain would be when it was dormant and had no leaves. The weather was cool, so we could wear hoodies with long sleeves. To protect our hands, we wore gloves. Isaiah had leather gloves and Ivana just had some rubber gloves. I don’t remember what I wore.
Trees up the Mountain
The pictures above and below show some of the common trees on or mountainside. We mostly have oak trees and these were quite ugly without their leaves. All the oak trees are dressed in a pretty green moss. The picture below also shows our driveway.
In one place not too high up the mountain, there was a clearing that was mostly level. Ivana was moved to sing The Sound of Music. I got it on video as she started to sing. She didn’t like how she sounded and stopped, walked away a short distance, and while I pretended to be videoing something else, she sang it again. Don’t miss watching the video. I think she did a good job for the words that she remembered.
Stopping for Lunch
As I grew more and more exhausted from the hike, I was happy to call a halt for lunch. We were on the side of a steep mountain amidst some trees and brush. After eating, Isaiah talked on his phone for a bit and then decided to take a nap(Below). He holds a machete that he used to help us break a trail through the brush.
Ivana had other plans. She decided to climb a digger pine tree and then made it into a swing by making it sway back and forth. You can see all of her tree adventure in the video. I thought she was unique to do this, but a friend recently told me that she had a female relative that did the same thing when she was a teenager. She also liked to work out with weights.
Nature’s Beauty on the Mountain
I especially appreciate the beauty of fungus and I later found out that the fungus that I photographed was turkey tail. We cut across the mountain and ran into the spring fed waterfall. Following it brought us back down to the creek.
Adventurous Teen Dips in the Creek
Always looking for the thrill of adventure, Ivana decided to cross the creek by taking a dip in it. She actually dunked her whole body under the freezing cold water.
Mountain Adventure With My Teens Ends
Reaching the creek meant that our adventure was almost over. But, before it could end, I needed to get across without getting wet. I don’t remember how my son got across. Somehow, he had a board that he was trying to set up for me to cross. He may have gone and gotten the one we used to cross, or he found another one at the house. In the end, the board was successfully set up and I made it across without getting wet. I really enjoyed this adventure with my teens and it is a memory that I will always cherish. Spend time with your teens out in nature and you won’t regret it.
Watch the Video
Now you can watch the video. If you are logged into your YouTube account, you will be able to like, comment and share the video This would really help the video to get shared more by the YouTube algorithm. Thank you and have a blessed week.