Ragged Mountain Reservoir Run

I spotted it on Google Maps. I have driven by it many times, but never seen it.

That got me curious. Shane didn't have a say in the matter.

Shane and I went on a Labor Day adventure to scope out Ragged Mountain Reservoir. I wanted him to see a dam. A large, vertical, four-year old mind-blowing dam. Anything else was bonus.

It was a short drive. The asphalt ended and we hit gravel. The parking lot was empty, but the signs told us we were in the right place.

Our ascent began.

It quickly accelerated.

Shane ran and sang "Sonic boom! Sonic boom!" The hill didn't phase him.

I got him to stop and look at the dam once we hit the top, though.

It wasn't the sheer wall I'd envisioned. The trail got plenty vertical at times, though.

And yes, Shane wanted to run up. I repeatedly told him to slow down. Later, we had three wipe outs over more level ground (where I didn't make Shane put on the brakes). He slowed down a little then.

Our journey continued. There were many highlights.

We found a new friend at an intersection.

We were sad to see the loss of another potential new friend.

The local trees passed a hanging test.

Shane wanted to swim out and test if the island was really an island.

I made him stay on shore.

We found a fallen tree that acted as a bridge.

It saved us at least 10 steps. Plus it was fun!

We found a parking lot on top of the mountain, too. Everyone with at least half a brain parked there (I made a mental note for next time).

Shane couldn't see the boat launch, so I told him to climb up on a rock. It made for a good picture.

Until he grabbed his butt.

Hiking hiked up his underwear or he had an itch.

Shane would have run off into the hills forever, but I herded him in a loop. He had a lot more trouble on the descent. I coached, but Shane slipped and fell on his butt a couple times. He must have hit a rock on the last time, because he made me carry him piggy back down the mountain.

When we reached the bottom, I let Shane take a picture.

That was a good walking stick, by the way. I told Shane I'd use it to look tall if any black bears wandered our way (Then he saw bears behind every tree for a while).

As we pulled out, a hawk took off and flew down the road ahead of us. He perched on branch above the road.

It was a fun hike. I love to explore, learn and make my son partake in both. I'm not a super nature dude by default. The wooded trails are much easier on my ginger skin than most outdoorsy stuff. It was good to exercise and be alive.

Carrie appreciated our absence, because she wanted to try to make gluten-free bagels for a co-worker.

Best of all, Shane was worn out. He ate well and napped sound! Mission accomplished!

PS - Raheem must have missed us. He came to the door at least six times while Shane napped. "Is it three yet?" "No." "It said it was three at my house." "It's not." "It's after three, is Shane still sleeping?" "Tell you what, we'll come outside later. Then you'll know he's awake." I need to make a magnet like Nana.