Walking in the Brook

Have you ever walked in the brook? Felt the cool water dance around your feet?

I highly recommend it for those hot summer days.

My mom first learned of the idea of brook hiking back when she was a child in the girl scouts. She passed it on to my siblings and I, and now to her grandchildren, my nieces and nephews.

Every year, usually starting in June, we head to the brook near our house and step into the cool waters…

This year we got to start a little early at the end of May. In order to get to the brook, we must first climb a hill through the woods, go on a dirt road, and then cross a field…

This year we saw a blueberry bush and a blooming azalea along the way…

The field is slowly becoming a poplar forest, since nobody currently mows it…it is amazing how nature reclaims itself once people leave it alone!

We then head back into the woods and down the hill…

My mom has a spot where she calls her altar where she puts white river/brook rocks about half way down the hill…we usually collect them and bring them up the hill, but this time we are going the opposite direction…

We make it to the babbling brook and step in…

The water is unseasonably warm, or at least not freezing, and feels good on the 80° F day!

Sometimes it is nice to sit on a rock and dangle our legs into the bubbles of the tiny rapids…

We never know what we might meet along the water’s edge…like this toad drying off in the sun...

The brook has changed quite a lot over the years, especially since 2011 when Tropical Storm Irene came. We see evidence of this throughout our journey, including more silt and sand built up, and lots of trees down…

We even ran into the newest addition of change this year, a giant logjam!

These trees have blocked the former main riverbed, making the brook change its course to go around it…now the water goes off to the left…

It also changed where the deep spots are, this used to be a nice swimming hole for the kids, but now there is hardly any water...

There are now new places where one can sit in the water and splash around if they so desire. I prefer just to walk in the water myself :)

Look how peaceful the water is! A perfect place to come and get away from the hustle and bustle of life…

Here is another fork in the water, on the left used to be the main path, but now the right bed has more water in it…

Before we reach the end of our brook hike, we come across this tree that has fallen on another, being suspended in a v-shape above the water…it almost looks like stilts…

or maybe a portal into another world…

It is now time to leave the brook. We make our way up the bank, into the woods, and onto the road back home. All in all, the journey takes about an hour, and is well worth doing!

If you are lucky enough to live near a brook or creek, or even a stream, I highly suggest you take advantage of it on those hot days, and put your feet in the water, close your eyes for a moment, and thank God you live in such an amazing place!

All you need for a brook hike is a brook, and maybe some water shoes or an old pair of sneakers…those rocks can be rough on bare feet! Get out there and explore your own neighborhood brook this summer, it’s fun for all ages!