Brandywine Falls & Stanford Trails

This afternoon's adventure to the Brandywine Falls Trailhead was a real-life comedy sketch! At the Visitor Center yesterday, the Ranger gave us the lowdown: the main road was closed, but she had a "foolproof" detour for us. We followed the directions and detour signs religiously, yet still found ourselves completely lost. How did we finally get there? By driving straight down the road boldly marked with "Road Closed" signs. Clearly, we're rebels without a cause.

We barely had to hike to see the falls, as the boardwalk to them was conveniently right there, just steps from the parking lot. But, being the intrepid adventurers we are, we wanted more than just a pretty view. So, we decided to hike the Brandywine Gorge Loop and the Stanford Trail, which takes you to the historic Stanford House.

The Brandywine Gorge Loop is a delightful trek that dips into the gorge, crosses a footbridge over the creek, and then climbs back up the other side. Along the way, there were plenty of spots where we could walk down to the creek and cool off. We took one of these offshoots to snap some pictures, which is when the real comedy began.

Beth decided to move from a rock in the creek to a log hanging over the water. Don captured this moment on video, and it’s pure comedy gold. Imagine Beth butt-scooting to a twig for leverage, trying to stand up on the log, failing hilariously, and then hopping to another log to reach dry land without getting soaked. It was like watching a live-action cartoon. Amazingly, she stayed dry!

The rest of our hike to the Stanford House was fairly uneventful, except for one thrilling moment—a snake sighting! Well, if you can call it a snake. It was about the size of an overgrown earthworm, but hey, it slithered, so it counts. Make sure to check out the video for a peek of that tiny creature!

All in all, our hike was part adventure, part comedy show. Stay tuned for more episodes of our wild misadventures!Read more