10. Big, Fat Worm
My 3-year-old volunteered to hold this chubby invertebrate once I scooped him up. They had a brief, friendly relationship before she launched him back into his habitat.
9. Mark the Trail
That same daughter was fascinated by how trails are denoted by colors on trees. Saturday was blue. Sunday was red. Studying and staring at bark, she excitedly announced when her eyes locked on a mark.
8. Slithery Snake
My wife was the one who announced when a snake made his way across the trail. Everyone stood their ground as this footless creature disappeared into the brush.
7. Chuckling Crow
On our Sunday ascent out of the park, a crow flew right over top of us. This chattering bird landed on a tree branch and let out one mighty howl. My daughter immediately asked, "What is he laughing at?"
6. Slippery Salamanders
The stream was full of salamanders on Saturday. Everyone got in on the salamander chase. When my daughter found her own salamander under a rock, she shouted with spastic pride. The amphibian slipped along the rocky shore, eluding the passionate pursuit of a crazed child.
5. Detective Doe
There were no salamander
sightings on Sunday, but deer were watching us through a maze of trees. At one
point, two doe locked eyes with a daughter and her Dad. Silence was broken when
the daughter screamed, "What are you doing, deer?" They
maintained their position and remained quiet. In a battle of who blinks first, the
whitetails won.
4. Beautiful Butterfly
Four of us - my parents,
myself, and eldest daughter - got a glimpse of a purple butterfly on Saturday.
When resting on leaves, it had no distinct color, a gray and gloomy look, but
in flight, we were all struck by the color. My daughter contested the butterfly
was blue, not purple. She immediately chastised me for incorrectly labeling
this beautiful animal of the sky. It was a blue butterfly. Get it right or pay
the price.
3. Water Woman & LadyBug
Lady
My youngest daughter
desperately wanted to swim in the stream. With her mother holding on, this
1-year-old aquatic fanatic thrashed in the cool and flowing water, dipping her
legs in pure happiness. Meanwhile. her sister was one with the water and the bug
kingdom. She found a lady bug and they were best friends for two solid minutes.
The lady bug traveled up and down her arm and all was right with the
world.
2. The One-Clawed Crayfish
A "sand castle" was a
must-do for the Lady Bug Whisperer. In a sandy and sloppy mess, Dad and
daughter dug and dug and found a crustacean with only one pincher. Our digging
and discovery created a private pool for our one-clawed comrade. Sand castle
architecture was interrupted by this bandit on the bank.
1. The Scarlet Tanager
The most unexpected sighting
was actually the first. On the steep descent into Stackhouse following the
Brownstown Trail, my Dad called for our caravan to be still. There, in a tree
overlooking the stream, sat a remarkable red and black bird. My Dad, who has
taught me a lot about nature and enjoying the outdoors, knew this songbird. It
was an awesome moment. My parents, my wife, my brother, and my kids froze to
appreciate the Scarlet Tanager - amazing colors and amazingly quieted my
children.
"Nature has an unparalleled capacity to stir our emotions, fostering raw and powerful feelings of wonder, awe, mystery, joy - and yes fear." - excerpt from How to Raise A Wild Child (currently reading, currently raising).
Summer is almost here
Johnstown. Who wants to adventure into the forest?
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