Hiking with Grandpa

All my grandparents live several states away.  I don’t get to see them as much as I wish.  When we do get together, we almost always do something outdoors like fishing or hiking.  I really enjoy getting to spend time outdoors with them exploring.

Recently my Grandpa came for a visit and we spent the day hiking in Mammoth Cave National Park (KY).  We explored many trails. Our favorite trail was Sand Cave Trail. It told a lot of history about Floyd Collins and his attempted rescue. It is a short trail but filled with lots of history.

Another trail we hiked was the Cedar Sink trail. I liked how you can see the sinkhole, and then you can walk in the sinkhole. It was way bigger than I thought it would be and very deep.  It is cool because you can see where the water comes out from underground, flows on top for a short distance, and then goes back underground. It was very beautiful because there were a lot of trees that were in peak fall color that afternoon.  There was also a side trail to a big cave or overhang that I could picture people using for shelter years ago.

A couple of the other trails we hiked that day were Sloans Crossing Pond Trail and Turnhole Bend Trail.  Sloans Crossing Pond was unique and different from the others. There was more aquatic wildlife and plants than on the other trails. Turnhole Bend had great scenic overlooks and different flowers on a shorter trail.  We also went to one of the many cemeteries that are located inside the park.  These cemeteries were here when this was private land before it became a park in the 1940s.

I like to hike with my grandpa because he teaches me more facts about the area from different times in history.  I love this because I love history in school. He also teaches me about the different plants and animals that were within the park.

A couple of tips when bringing grandparents on hikes with you are first, you need a lot of snacks because they stop a lot.  My grandpa liked to stop to drink some water and eat a snack more than I did.  He also liked to stop and look out over the forest and overlooks.  This is pretty cool because he would point out stuff I would have missed had we not stopped.  Second, you also should either bring a hiking stick or find one for them on the hike.  It will help them and make the hike easier for them especially on the steep hills.

Would I suggest going hiking with your grandparents?  Yes!  Even though it is different than when I go with my immediate family or friends it is still a fun time.  You get to see and learn about things I would have otherwise missed.  So next time you go hiking, plan a hike with your grandparents.  They will enjoy it just like you will!