Camping trip tests rope of freedom

It seemed like an eternity to me, but the boys eventually returned to the campsite. They came from the main road, a completely different direction from where they left in the creekbed. They were all a little dirty like they had fallen once or twice. My youngest son was sopping wet, from his head to his toes. They were also laughing and smiling like they didn’t have a care in the world.

I felt like the mad emoji face, my face was red and hot. I was about to lose my cool. Instead, I told the boys not to leave the campsite and went to find the two dads.

I didn’t have many options when it came to communicating with my husband and his friend. We didn’t have phones or walkie-talkies.

I used all my pent-up anger from dealing with the boys and yelled. My loud banshee cry was heard clear across the ravine, probably for miles.

We always use an analogy of a rope of freedom with our kids. If they make good choices, that rope is long with lots of freedom. A few bad choices mean the rope is shortened, and their options are limited.

Not only did they venture off a main trail, but they also lost track of time. I was relieved to hear that they stayed together, but I’m pretty sure there were “dares” involved with the younger boys.

Trail in question. Just because we were on vacation didn’t mean it was a break in parenting. The next day, we had them show us where they had gone. They claimed it was a trail; they were proven wrong.

The creekbed the boys followed at first turned out to be a feature of karst topography. The dissolution of soluble rocks like limestone creates landforms like springs, caves and sinkholes.

The dry creek bed led us to the sinkhole directly above the waterfall in the cave. Clear, aquamarine water flowed in a nearby stream. When sunlight interacts with the mineral content in the water, a striking blue color is seen.

From the sinkhole, we were able to access an actual trail with signs and explanations for the topography we were experiencing. The trail led down to the Green River and right past the Echo River Spring. The spring is where Echo River, an underground river in the caves, reaches the surface.

The longer we hiked with the kids, our anger dissipated. Abundant grace turned our frustration into an opportunity for growth and maturity. A very short rope of freedom tethered our boys close by for the remainder of the trip.

(Julie Geiss lives with her husband and four children in Unity Township, Ohio. Faith and family are first in her life, but she also loves hiking, biking and camping. You can contact Julie at juliegeiss1414@gmail.com.)