Cool Hawks and Big Rocks

The Rey Center's last Friday Family Hike was hoppin'!  Seriously, there were frogs and toads everywhere.  At first they were cool and exciting and we stopped to take pictures . . . 

. . . but after the first couple dozen they just became part of the scenery.

Anyway, Leigh Ann and I led a small group up to Goodrich Rock, where we ate our lunches and watched four hawks circling the valley below us, though these proved surprisingly difficult to photograph.  Goodrich Rock is located about 2 miles from the Livermore Road trailhead and finishes with a wooden ladder that brings hikers to the top of a giant boulder that rises above the surrounding trees and offers dramatic views of Waterville Valley and all the surrounding mountains.

The first 1.2 miles is flat and largely runs parallel to a large stream, and then veers off up the side of a mountain until you emerge in a forest full of giant boulders.

These Glacial Erratics are giant stones pushed south by glaciers that got deposited over whatever they were above as the last Ice Age ended.  The trail winds under, around, and, at one point, through these colossal rocks until the final epic overlook.

After a long hike up and back, the group stopped and cooled our feet in the stream and, by this point, thoroughly enjoyed the ice cold water.

If you're interested in joining us on a future Friday Family Hike, check with the Rey Center schedule for specifics for that week, but they typically leave from the Curious George Cottage at 10AM.