Wolf Cave Trail at McCormick's Creek State Park

             Hey folks! I feel like baby could come at any time now, so this may have very well been one of our last “hurrahs”. While not that big of a deal since it's not like we went camping or anything quite that exciting, I'm still glad we were able to go somewhere, however close, and spend some extended time outdoors as a family. If you're local-ish, I hope you enjoy learning about this trail from a very pregnant woman's point of view. If you're not local, I hope you enjoy our pictures and shenanigans anyways!

             So, I have been wanting to do the Wolf Cave trail at McCormick's Creek State Park for awhile. I had actually planned on doing it some time last year when the weather was still nice, but we just never got around to it for one reason or another. I blame all the early pregnancy nausea and wanting to do it when John was with us. I had read from others that the trail could be a bit rugged in parts, so it did not sound like something I would want to do alone with two kids and being pregnant.

             Fast forward to January 28^th and hubby suggested we take advantage of the relatively nice weather and get out of the house and do something. For us, that almost always means going to some kind of nature-y area. So we decided to stick close to home and go to McCormick's Creek...But I told him I didn't feel like doing the paved trail, if he was feeling adventurous enough to take both the kids on a “real one”.

             First things first: We let the kids play at the playground for a bit and have a picnic lunch to appease them. My in-laws showed up around the time we sat down to eat and kept the kids entertained while we finished. I wasn't all that hungry, but I'm glad we ate when we did now. But I'll get to that later...

             We took part of the paved trail (8) and they decided to go down 5 (which connects to 8), which does a loop and leads to Wolf Cave. “Ok,” I thought. “It's something different and at least I can see how rugged this trail supposedly is.” I know I've told John it's a longer trail, not terrible, but longer for having two little kids with us. With that being said, I just followed along, expecting them to turn around any time. Silly me. Always assuming things, and you know where that gets ya!

             We ended up doing the WHOLE FREAKING THING, which is about 2 miles long altogether from where we started and ended! That's a lot of walking for someone who's 8 months pregnant and not getting out much lately! With the two kids with us and having plenty of nature to explore, we took frequent breaks, so honestly, it wasn't too bad. Don't get me wrong: I'm writing this just two days after the fact and there are muscles in the backs of my knees that I didn't even know existed that are still sore, but I didn't feel like I was going to die at the end and it wasn't as rugged as I expected. Now, if I had had to carry Ripley some if the grandparents weren't there...That would probably be a different story!

             The worst part was the walk back up, but that's to be expected and it wasn't too bad. It's not like it's a race. The trail itself is nice and wide since so many people frequent it. Most of it was gravel covered. My only word of warning is that you have to cross the creek several times. So, if it has rained recently or, in our case, a lot of ice or snow has melted recently, be sure to bring proper boots!

             I would definitely like to do this trail again. The kids had a lot of fun exploring the cave and creek. Myka, naturally, wants to go back with a flashlight so she can actually crawl through the cave to the other side. I'll let her and daddy have fun with that. ;)