Shining Rock Outdoor eXperience : Our First Hike!

On October 18, 2015 Shining Rock's Outdoor Club took its first family hike! Nine families were in attendance and braved the chilly, yet stunningly beautiful day.

Our hike started on the edge of the Shining Rock Wilderness area--how fitting is that?! We followed the Flat Laurel Creek trail, stopping along the way to marvel at the ice formations we found (it was really cold!) and to let the kids have time to play in the creek. The kids were hiking machines, even the youngest among us!

After crossing Flat Laurel Creek, we headed up Sam's Knob Trail. When we reached the summit trail to Sam's Knob, part of our crew headed back to their cars, while the rest of the group charged up the mountain, rewarded by breathtaking, panoramic views and even a view of the outcropping of quartz, Shining Rock, that gave our school its name!

All in all, it was the perfect day and we hope everyone had a great time enjoying the paradise we call home. We can't wait to plan our next outing!

**Reminder: Our next Outdoor Club meeting is November 2 at 3:15 p.m. at the school. If you weren't able to join us on our hike, no worries, you can still come to the meeting and be part of this awesome group! Parental attendance is not required but certainly welcome if you're interested.

**If you would like to add some club name potentials to the list, please do so in the comment section below. The contenders we have so far are posted below the photographs.

Our awesome families who braved the cold to come on our first hike!

Ice formations were scattered along the trail--brrr!!

Sam Knob in he distance, which is where we were eventually headed.

Who doesn't love crossing a creek on stepping stones?!

Even the youngest among us were great hikers!

We took a break at Flat Laurel Creek and the the kids had a blast playing on the rocks.

Fun snacks are a requirement for a hike!

Pure cuteness!

Mrs. Henderson and her family were some of our attendees--Mrs. Henderson should win a "toughest hiker" award for carrying Lillian on her back for so long, even after she fell asleep!

Queen of the rock!

Princess of the rock!

We are so fortunate to have Coach Rinker's family as part of the school--to know them is to love them!

It's always fun to figure out the flora around us on a hike.

More creek crossings

And log crossings!

Heading towards Sam's Knob

We always wait at trail junctions for our fellow hikers to catch up.

Josie, the East's dog, loves to hike too!

Poor Coach Rinker lost the soles on both of his shoes--"Lost Sole" should definitely be a contender for his trail name!

Part of our group headed back towards the parking lot...

....While the rest of of the crew tackled and summited Sam's Knob! In the distaace, we could even see the outcropping of quartz that lent our school its name--Shining Rock!