Climbing Kennesaw Mountain

This week was National Parks Week - free admission to all National Parks. We decided to head to our nearest National Park and take advantage. Ok, so Kennesaw Mountain is free but we were inspired to visit a National Park, especially having one so close! That's the mountain in the background...

There's a small museum with information on Kennesaw Mountain's involvement in the Civil War. Much of this area hosted critical battles toward the end of the war. The museum also had dress-up for the kids (daddys included).

After visiting the museum, we headed up the mountain. We were told it was an easy one mile hike uphill. We opted for the paved road rather than the trail since we had two strollers (Jill and our friend Zeke). The hike was very easy BUT it was uphill the entire way. Just enough of a constant incline to be a trek!The kids were all great! I really didn't expect Adam to make it the whole way but he impressed us all. This is the only time he lagged behind and that's because he was distracted by stick collecting.

Some kids had it easier than others. Malachi, being carried, was able to sleep most of the way. And Jill and Zeke rode in their strollers enjoying the scenery and snacks.About halfway up there was a perfect view of downtown Atlanta. This was really exciting for the kids. We were so high up!We made it to the top! Everyone was so proud of their accomplishment. And what's at the top, you ask? Lots of cannons. Men fighting brothers dragged these cannons up a mountain 150 years ago...Adam called this his "log cannon." He really liked it :)Proud parents, we were glad we attempted something that may have seemed so crazy. And since we barely made it to the top (we considered giving up multiple times as it really seemed there was no end in sight, and we knew once on top we had to walk all the way back down) it was a relief to have Andrew catch a ride with a kind family so he could bring our van, our lunch, and a ride down the mountain. He also clocked the mileage - we climbed 1.6 miles up a mountain!Maybe next time we'll not only climb a mountain...we'll climb down one, too.