Nature! (No Goulet) -- Updated!

After much logistical planning and fixing of courage to the sticking place, Cody and I made our way into the mountains of Shenandoah National Park on Saturday morning. Through the judicious use of technology, we managed to arrive just as a massive storm front was leaving. Nature!

It took us just a few minutes to pitch our tent.

Then it was off for a hike to Dark Hollow Falls. Here we are at the base of the falls.

Cody enjoyed tossing rocks into the pool at the base of the falls, of course:

And then it was back to the campsite, where we encountered some more Nature.

That evening we made a big fire, grilled hot dogs, roasted marshmallows, and made s'mores. Like most little boys, he was fascinated by the fire. Spent a full hour sitting in his camping chair poking the fire with a stick, waving the flaming stick in the air, and grinning like a fool. (Not pictured, because of the way in which Shannon reacted to the sparklers on July 4.)

We had great sleeping weather and he conked out next to me in the tent, after some flashlight play and all manner of camping fun. We had some bears come through the campsite around 3:00 am, but otherwise it was a wonderful, uneventful first night's sleep in the great outdoors.

On Sunday morning, we made another huge fire with our breakfast and then broke camp. On the drive back along Skyline drive, we stopped at some of the lookouts to take in the mountain views. These are some of my favorite pictures of him ever.

The mountains are already calling us back. October might be a good time to return . . .

Update: Upon returning home, we smelled like wood smoke and looked like this: