A Cold Winter's Hike to Peavine

Did anyone want to go hiking on a very cold morning in December?  No.   Well, no one but me.   And I remembered many cold Decembers hiking with Sam and Davis when they were little, and I wanted to have a quick hike to gather more of those memories.   But Davis was at the FC winter camp.   Sam said he wanted to go, but looked like a zombie dealing with some horrible sinus issues.   Ruby was also sniffling, and while I was completely fine going on my own, I guess Belle felt bad for me, and opted in for this hike.   I also thing Magan may have promised her some jewelry or offered some secret incentive, but nevertheless I was able to make some sandwiches and snacks for two people, and off we went to take on Peavine at Oak Mountain.

It was rather cold, and there was a hint of "I have to be here, so I guess it is what it is" from Belle, but she is a trooper, and once on the trail, never complained once.   We chatted about little things here and there, but mainly just little talks about our six flags trip and christmas.   Then we reached the top of the falls and realized quickly that Peavine falls would be a Peavine trickle today.   We made the climb to the bottom and walked across the creek dry over the small patch of area that is typically a pool of water during heavy rains.   We sat on the edge and ate our ham/turkey roll ups and chips.   She humored me with a couple of silly pictures below.   

When we left, I was thinking that I would probably be hiking another 2 miles while I was here, so I asked her about hiking up to the Bird Rescue center.   She gave me a big smile, and a look that told me "Don't push it dad", then said "We could probably just drive up there, right?".   Oh well, I'm not here for exercise, just to capture a rare little Dad/Belle together time.   So we drove to the top, and saw some birds, saw some owls, and saw Shelby, the bald eagle.   

And what else will my sweet belle remember possibly about this small time with dear old dad....hmmm...well, the outhouse at Peavine was burn your eyes "stanky".   And I let her pick out whatever drink she wanted at the gas station where we threw down a couple of sneaky petes.   Yes, we did just eat lunch, but there is always room for a sneaky pete dog.