Introductions!

Our fight for the foundation of our family is essential.  There are six of us; we are a team.  We have to be.  We face a lot of ever present challenges.  We have no choice.  We must make it through- all of us- together.

 

Many would utter those words, few have the meaning so deep as we do.  Our oldest son is now 15 with severe autism and challenging developmental and communication disorders.  He needs extra support through every daily activity.  He does best in an environment of routine and stability.  He makes it through best if we as a family can make it through.

 

So let’s do this!  The parks have laid out their challenge and we as a family accepted.  Explore all 47 South Carolina Parks and become Ultimate Outsiders.  How cool is that?  Boots up and on our way!

Introductions are necessary for politeness sake.  Know who you are journeying with!

Meet the Ramblers, which is of course our trail name.  You really can’t think of meeting a challenge like this without first christening yourself appropriately.  

We are unlikely group- underdogs really- but who better to undertake such a challenge?  There are six of us:  me, my husband and our four children.  Can we pull this off?  Absolutely!  I think… and if we can so can anybody!

 

The children:

Wetfoot

Her name was earned during an unfortunate creek crossing in which she ended up with a soggy squishy tennis shoe.  I did say tennis shoe.  Due to fashion trends, Wetfoot, our thirteen year old daughter refused hiking boots for the vast majority of our explorations.   She maneuvered an ipod truce of sorts where she does carry her ingrown device snapping pictures of the natural beauty around her.  She has though no connection via cell or wifi.  All she is able to do is take pictures and document our journey.

Thoreau

His first name was Treehugger but as he became offended, we offered Thoreau and he was pleased.  Thoreau fits my quiet ten year old son.  He loves nature, hikes well, points out rocks, snakes and lizards.  He documents his findings in his drawings.  There is a great deal always running through Thoreau’s sometimes quiet presence. 

Little Legs

She is eight and though her legs may be appropriately short, she is perhaps the toughest of us all.  She is skittish of the more unsavory aspects of nature… those being ticks, snakes and poison ivy.   Little Legs is mighty in that she has already conquered up to seven miles of trail in one hike with legs that must take two steps for every one of ours.  She is endurance personified.

Big Ben von Gilbert

Now this is where we Ramblers get interesting.  Ben is 15 and has severe autism.  He has many cognitive and behavioral challenges but he has embraced hiking completely and the parks particularly.  He is ambulatory and loves to be on the move.  Hiking makes so much sense to him.  He is visual and so loves the clearly defined trails blazed and marked with easy to spot colors and arrows.  He is uninhibited and can make happy excited noises.  On the trail, no one cares.  Big Ben has a penchant for knowing and announcing the time and reminds us of the sun’s passing throughout our excursions.  It helps to keep our party on schedule and know when to turn back.  We have never been stuck on trail overnight.

 

Anchor

He is my husband of 19 years, 41, kind, patient and wonderful.  He and I have together traversed life trails that defy explanation.  We met and were college sweethearts and married soon after.  He is my best friend and so very much more.  Together we have witnessed and traveled through life’s beautiful moments and  terrifying ones.  He is an Anchor to our family and to me…oh…and he runs lead on the trails too J.

And finally I am a part of this band as well.

Songbird or Roz

I chose the trail name “Songbird” in honor of the many rounds of “Rise and Shine” that I perform for the children at their bedside to get them up in the mornings.  Sometimes though, the right trail name chooses you.  Little Legs and I run sweep during the hikes.  I make sure no one gets left behind and am generally in charge of the first aid kit, snacks and deciding which parks to conquer on which day.  The children tried of course to pick on one another and to annoy each other.  They changed my trail name to Roz from Monsters, Inc. as they soon realized that I was behind them and always watching their escapades.  They soon realized that they would have to become more creative or just give up altogether.

 

So that is us… Enough with the introductions!  We’ll get to know each other more along the way.  Boots Up and Let’s Go!