The number of weekend days that we have unscheduled is very small, so we have to grab the opportunity when we have one of those that coincides with beautiful fall weather! We decided to try Moorman's Gap hike, at the Charlottesville Reservoir. I'd heard about this as a summer hike with great swimming holes, and we all decided that we will definitely need to check it out again in warmer weather.
The hike was a hit, with several stretches along the water and multiple stream crossings. Even so, this hike will go down in family history as the one with the yellow jackets. Not long after seeing the snake near the path, Rudy SCREAMED like we've only heard him scream once before (when something popped out unexpectedly in a movie scene). It took a few seconds to process, but we soon realized that he'd stepped on a yellow jacket nest. He got three stings - one on each leg and one on the pinky finger. James ended up with two on his leg. Brady, Charlie, and I escaped unscathed. Thankfully, the little buggers didn't put up much pursuit so we were able to escape them after only a few steps. Rudy was nearly hyperventilating; once he was calmer, I put him on my back and hustled back to the water. The cool stream did wonders to reduce the swelling and ease the pain. He and James both said that the stings were still hurting two days later. It was an unfortunate way to end the hike, but hopefully we'll be able to talk him into going back when it's warmer someday!
