Hiking to the Cascades Waterfall

To celebrate our 15 year wedding anniversary, we decided to go hike the Cascades, which we hadn't done in years.  The Cascades is located in Jefferson National Forest, close to Pembroke, Virginia.  There is a $3 fee to park your car. 

Getting read to head out.  Reid was excited.  Kid loves hiking.

There are many bridges and stone staircases along the lower trail.  It's 2 miles to the falls.  The vegetation is so dense that all the pics look like they're taken at night, and I had to lighten them up significantly.

It's a fairly easy hike, though, nothing steep.

Take Memories.  Leave Only Footprints.

Doesn't it look like night?  And I lightened this up quite a bit!

Back in the 1920s, this area was logged, and a temporary sawmill was established.  This is the old boiler, which provided energy to the sawmill.  It needed horses and track to move, which is perhaps why it got left behind when the sawmill moved out.

Paul, loaded up.  I wore Cort in the backpack.  Pierce pretty much hiked the whole thing on his own.

The trail meanders right next to the river.  There are numerous swim holes along the way.

Reid, totally in his element.  He ran half the hike.  Skinned both knees, but got up and kept going - he always wanted to be in the lead.

And finally, after a great deal of playing Diego and Baby Jaguar on the way to rescue baby marmosets at the waterfall, we arrive!

Cort and Reid shamelessly shed their clothes (except diapers) and jumped into the frigid water.  Refreshing, after the long hike.

The falls were a little crowded, but still, such a stunning view!

We hiked our 2 miles back to the car on the upper trail, which is smoother and faster traveling (but not as pretty) and had a perfect ending to the day by heading to The Homeplace, one of our favorite homestyle restaurants, for dinner.  Pierce looking out over the pond as we waited for our table to be ready.

Short of a trip to an exotic locale, such as Peru, I can't really think of any way I would've rather spent my 15th wedding anniversary.  It was perfect!