July 4th Weekend Cascade Gorge Hike.

This weekend we celebrated the 4th of July by checking out a hiking trail we've been hearing about. The Cascade Stream Gorge Trail is located just south of Rangeley off of Rt. 4 off a side street that's just across from South Shore Drive. Since we had to be in Rangeley that morning we figured it'd be a good time to do it.

We loaded up the car with Eli's mountain of gear, our gear, and Wu's gear. About mid-morning we hopped in and took off. I drove while Amanda navigated and told me about the area. Eli played most of the time with his teddy bear and Wu sat in the back, the crazy waiting to be unleashed.

When we arrived it took us a bit to figure out how to park. I guess everyone else had the same thought as us. We unloaded and chatted with some folks who were heading back to their cars. They were nice people and were impressed with how Amanda was going to hike up the hill with Eli on her back. I have the best family.

The falls are located all along the trail. It's name is dead on. It is a cascade. We followed a beautiful trail along the water going uphill the whole way. The vegetation is a lot different than what I'm used to. Back in the Black Hills the hills are covered in pines and aspen with little undergrowth. Out here, the trail was covered in mossy rocks and heavy undergrowth with woven root systems protruding out of the ground as we walked up.

There were mats of moss that felt like it was going to let your foot sink down into a wet muddy trap, but the moss always held. So much so, that we stopped on our way down and had a break and let Eli get out of his pack and feel the ground. He loved it.

There were so many amazing views and we even saw a fly fisherman on the water. Wu did a great job after he calmed down. He's still not quite accustomed to a leash. He barely pulled and listened very well. He did so well that we let him go swim... kind of. The only place we felt comfortable letting him get in was a small pool behind a boulder. It only went up to his chest but he seemed to enjoy it.

Once again, Team Davis has succeeded. We had a blast and watching my son grow up outdoors is one of the best parts of being a dad. He is always happy and can't wait to get outside again. That's our boy. I am lucky to have such a great family and I'm glad we live our lives the way we do- outdoors and loving it!