Walking in Papa's Footsteps

One of my favorite places to explore as a kid, was Haytor Rock on Dartmoor. The kids had heard about Dartmoor and were interested to explore it, so on New Years Day, despite the chilly weather, we headed to the moors.

It was a typical winters day on the moors with dense fog. That isn't snow on the ground, but ice.

Here's a close up of how the moisture in the air had frozen on the grass. It was beautiful to look at, and I wasn't alone in taking pictures of the grass and plants and the beautiful ice sculptures that had formed.

This is what Haytor looks like when the fog clears. Yes, those of people on top, so you can get a good idea of the size of this rock. Steve, Caleb and Declan decided to head off and climb to the top, despite the ice all over the granite. Mum didn't feel like she could watch, and took Madison and EB to explore on some of the lower levels.

I've taught Rock Climbing at our after-school programs for a few years on the Rock Walls the PTO purchased for the school, so Madison felt she was a 'pro' rock climber and more than once I had to harshly call her back because she was climbing too high in not so great conditions.

Not to be outdone, and quite frankly his being all boy, Ethan decided to follow right after her.

We were gone for quite some time. Nana and Papa had waited in the car as the steep terrain and slippery conditions were not good for Dad's leg, but just as Mads, EBster and I were about to head down, we could see a shadow of a man stumbling up the hill with a cane through the fog. We quickly ran over and helped stubborn Papa get back down of the Tor.

Papa always loved the moors and exploring it with us kids. We used to walk for hours out there. We'd reach one tor and then he'd say "let's just head over there to that tor", so off we'd trudge, then when we finally reached there, he'd say "okay, now let's just go and see that tor over there". Hours later we'd be exhausted and need to sit by the road, while he went and got the car and came to pick us up. It was hard for Papa to see his grandkids exploring the moors without him, but it was wonderful to see their love and enthusiasm for them too. They followed right in Papa's footsteps.

Afterwards we drove to Widecombe-in-the-Moor to stop at a cafe and have a Devon Tea (clotted cream, strawberry jam and scone) and fish and chips for the boys (who were addicted to them) and some nice hot chocolate to warm ourselves up.