The Mountains are Calling... and we Must Go!
After a very successful first trek up to the mountains of North Carolina, we decided to head up once again in hopes of seeing snow. It would be many years since we'd seen snow, and the first time for the boys. We were originally set to head to Beech mid February, but Dennis caught Covid, so our plans were cancelled until further notice. Wasn't until mid-March that we could settle on a date to visit our family's beautiful chalet once again. On our original date, there was a massive snow storm that filled the area with tens of inches of snow, so we were sad to have missed that, but hopefully we would still see some snow, even if just on the slopes!
Sledding Time!
After two days of driving and an overnight stay somewhere in South Carolina, we finally made it to Beech Mountain. We relaxed for the rest of the day, as the drive was brutal, but the next morning, it was time to head out and explore the scenery. We spotted a patch of snow at the sledding hill on our way in and figured it'd be the perfect place to sled with our boys. It's a tiny hill usually swamped with sledders of the younger variety, but lucky for us, because it was late in season, the sledding hill was empty as can be, with not a single visitor around. It was also warming up, so if we didn't do it now, we probably wouldn't get a chance to do it at all. The snow was melting at a rapid pace and there was no snow on the radar! So, we took advantage and had a little fun with our boys! They had no clue what was happening, but took it all in stride. The Dads enjoyed themselves a bit too much! lol!
The next couple days we stayed in and relaxed at the chalet with our boys and Zoey and walked the mountain, drove up to the ski resort to see more snow, and took some amazing shots and footage around the mountain and chalet. There were plenty of deer around, as our last visit, and we kept the deer corn coming to keep them in our yard. Our boys enjoyed seeing the animals around and we enjoyed having them and keeping them well fed.
Linville Caverns
On our last visit to North Carolina, we stumbled upon Linville Caverns while driving to another location, and though it'd be a great place to visit on our next trip up. Turns out Daniel had been to the Caverns many moons before and remembered it being pretty cool and cold inside the caves, but didn't remember too much more after that. We woke up early, to avoid crowds, and made our way to the caverns and were lucky enough to be one of the early birds, with only a few other people in our group, so we were able to roam the caverns nearly alone.
It was pretty incredible! This subterranean world discovered by fishermen in the 1800's and was full of history, and gave us a glimpse into nature's work of art, bolstering with stalactites, crevices and we even spotted a bat hibernating within. Sadly, most bats hibernating in the caves have been affected by white-nose syndrome so their populations have dwindled. The pathways below were dimly lit enough for us to explore the limestone caverns with caution as the caves are actively dripping. It was a site to behold and definitely a worthwhile visit for us!
For our boys cute polar bear outfit, shop it using this link: https://amzn.to/31c4b1C **
Traversing a 1-mile high bridge on Grandfather Mountain
Our final outing was to the World Famous Grandfather Mountain, a 300 million year old mountain with rock formations dating back over 1 billion years! That is something! We did a little bit of hiking, and by little, we mean like 15-20 minutes of hiking, lol! There's only so much hiking you can do with two babies in tow, and we couldn't bring our stroller along and had left it hiding behind a rock. The bridge was definitely a sight to behold and we got some incredible footage as evidence! Check it out in YouTube below.
Luckily we brought along our TushBaby carriers** that saved the day for us. This ergonomic seat lays right on the hip and provides all the support needed to hold your babies comfortably for long periods of time. It definitely helped facilitate our trek up to the bridge and across as well and allowed us to traverse the bridge safely and well-balanced. We definitely recommend these carriers! They can be purchased here: BUY TUSH BABY CARRIER. Use code MARZOA10 for $10 off your order!
Once we reached the peak of grandfather mountain, we took in the amazing scenery, one of North Carolinas most beautiful views around. We crossed the bridge several times, and boy was it scary, each and every time, but definitely felt very safe doing so. Upon our departure, we drove by the wildlife habitats and enjoyed seeing elk, cougars, eagles, bears and otters. These are all rescues that cannot be released into the wild, so this is the next best thing for them! The Nature Museum nearby was temporarily closed due to renovations, but there's still so much to do on the mountain, so it wasn't a big deal.
YouTube Video
Check out the video below as we vacation once again in Beech Mountain, North Carolina and enjoy all the sites! We've got some incredible footage of our chalet, our fun sledding adventure and ending with us traversing a 1-mile high bridge on Grandfather Mountain.
** Some links posted above are affiliate links which may generate a commission to the dads at no extra expense to you!
