Adventure!

The girls and I went on adventure in the woods the other day.
I am always thinking I want to spend more time in nature, but usually I don't head into the woods with the girls. Nearby our house is a path up into a wooded area with trails, but after the last storm we found the familiar path was blocked by three trees!

I was annoyed by the barrier. Why did all the trees have to fall in the path?
I sort of wanted to turn back or walk around the familiar golf course. But Lily decided she would guide us up the hill around the trees, so we followed.

As we made our way up Lily stopped, stooped down, and flushed out a beige toad!
Georgia caught it, which was wonderful because she was the impetus behind the adventure. She really wanted to find some animals.




























Will that success we were all excited to keep moving on.
We heard a chipmunk chirping a warning call as we moved up the hill.


Our next find was a cluster of turkey feathers on the ground with a skeleton!
Lily picked some beautiful clean feathers up for a magical bundle.


















Next we spotted some deer poop, which is always a nice find. I love to imagine the deer quietly moving through the woods as we speed by on the nearby road in the car from school, work and errands.
















Then, on our way down the hill, we stumbled on a Lady's Slipper, which is a rare orchid that is endangered in many places because they take so long to grow and need special symbiotic fungi in the soil.
I grew up finding these in the woods as a child and it felt like a sweet welcome to find one in the woods near our home.

Hooray!
We all felt happy and connected as we made our way home. As we passed the blocked path I realized that we never would have encountered any of our discoveries if we had followed the traditional worn path.
I'll try and remember that next time I find something big and unexpected blocking my path.....