Ash Cave

I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.
~N. Hawthorne

We decided to drive south and spend a fall day adventuring at Ash Cave.  We also decided to leave the camera in its case.  We were determined to capture the memories without missing the moments. 

Autumn had cloaked nearly everything around us in metallic tones.  We saw trees so tall it seemed their tops were holding up the sky.  Leaves fell in unison and created enough noise that it sounded like the tail end of a standing ovation.  The same breezes that stirred foliage blew at Tollie's open palm, a catch-me-if-you-can proposition he could not resist.  Bars of sunlight angled through branches, illuminating centuries old stone and inviting spectacular views of recessed rocks.

Tucker reports that his favorite part of the day was finding a caterpillar.  He was convinced that bears lived in the caves, and that sharks dwelled in the shallow ponds, surrounded by sand, at the base of the falls.  Near the end of our three hour hike, with his head heavy on my shoulder and his mouth close to my ear, Tuck whispered a story while I carried him piggy back through the forest, with fairies in his hands.  The fairies live in all that green moss, but their wings are wet, that whys they need a ride.  In a minute they'll be all dry and they will help you carry me!

 We did snap a few photos with our phones:

JEB