WaterfallLast Saturday, Abby and I went hiking with her brother Andrew and his wife, Melanie. We went to Jones Gap, a state park in South Carolina. It looked like rain at the beginning of the day, but it rained only lightly for a short time and then cleared up. The light rains kept down the bugs, the crowds, and the temperature, so we were thankful for it.

We hiked about two miles into the park. At the most adventurous point we had to cross a shallow stream. I walked across some rocks; Andrew noted the shallowest places and ran across; the girls took off their shoes and socks, rolled up their pants, and marched across. We stopped to see the waterfalls and to take pictures. I was surprised at how different the Appalachians in the Southeast are from those in New England. The trail was almost never rocky; usually it was clay and sometimes even sand. The wet clay was slicker than rock, but hiking on softer soil seemed easier than hiking on rock.

After the hike, Andrew and Melanie invited Abby and me to their home for dinner. Then Andrew and Melanie beat us rather severely at Rook, just as Anna Beth and Kellen had beaten us on a different night.