Today we did what I hope will become a yearly tradition. We took a drive up to Taylors Falls (about 1 1/2 hours for us) to see the fall colors and enjoy the clean, crisp air. It was, by far, one of the most beautiful Sundays to make this trip as it was 83 and sunny with a light breeze. You can't ask for a more better day in September in Minnesota. The parking was a little ridiculous, but oh well, no big deal.
For those who don't know Taylors Falls, it sits along the banks of the St. Croix River, which marks the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin. These river banks, however, are not rolling plains or beach-like, they are lava-formed bluffs with amazing rock formations and glacial potholes. The bluffs along the river are part of the State Park and have a lot of bike and hiking paths. As Kristen was pushing the stroller, we stuck to the bike path. However, that didn't keep us from much of the rock climbing/hiking fun (it's not really climbing up as much as it is hiking across the rock formations).
Kristen and I have been to Taylors Falls numerous times in our youth, but this is the first time we've brought the kids here. It also happens to be the first time the kids (all of them) have ever climbed across this type of rock formation. Even Willow, our 2-year old, got into the fun. You can only imagine what archaic parental instincts kicked in.
Yeah, paranoia; the visions swimming across your eyes as you see your children climbing rocks for the very first time and falling down, plummeting to their death on the rocky banks of the St. Croix River. Or perhaps falling into the disgusting water of the glacial potholes. Or may jumping along, slipping, and cracking their head open, causing blood to flow everywhere and you're running to the nearest hospital.
Of course, none of this happened and the kids did great traversing the rocks for their first time ever. No one got hurt and Harper and Willow always asked for help when they knew they couldn't get down from the spot they were standing. I was always right there and made sure the kids didn't go quite as far as some of the older kids who were traversing the rocks. But that didn't stop my paranoia from picturing the absolute worst from happening.
The funny thing about all of this, is that I've traversed the rocks before. I've also traversed the rocks around Minnehaha in Minneapolis. I've also traversed the rocks around Lake Superior. None of those awful ever happened to me, so why the hell is my mind starting to freak out? I really had to keep myself in check to avoid making the kids panic. As luck would have it, when a parent starts freaking out, that's when their child starts to panic and someone gets hurt. So, I made sure they didn't go too far and always had Willow's hand nearby (she's only 2, I can't let her get too far on the rocks).
At least I know one thing, the next time we do something like this, the kids have done it before and have at least some practice. They know what to do and what not to do to avoid falling and they know how to avoid the nasty ledges. I'm hoping my mind won't picture the worst and we can be a little more adventurous with each trip. After a few years, I'm sure we'll be fully equipped and hiking along those trails like it's nothing!
Until then, I'll make sure my paranoia doesn't get the best of me.
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