Greenways: North Hills Trail

Raleigh has got some of the best parks! How long have I lived here and why haven't I discovered these little gems sooner? It's a little embarrassing that this comes as such a surprise. Especially since just as I'm coming into this "stay-at-home" mom role where I could really take advantage of all that the city parks have to offer, my kids are aging out of being able to "legally" play on playgrounds. Just yesterday we were at Chick-fil-A and the boys wanted to play in the play land while I ordered our lunch. Imagine my shock when I went to call them to come eat and saw the "You must be shorter than this to play" sign. Nathan was a full head taller then was allowed, and Noah just barely made it under (and I think he may have been bending his knees). With their short summer hair cuts they look tough and rough, and I thought about how when they were little I used to hate when older, bigger kids came into play lands designed for smaller children. "Where are their parents?!?" I had thought, judging and condemning. And now, suddenly, I find myself having turned into one of those parents I used to hate. Ouch!

Thankfully, there's still playgrounds to be found in Raleigh that will accommodate my growing boys, and a lot of then are connected to the Greenways. Today it was just me and Nathan on the Greenways (since Noah had Camp Adventure), and we decided to hit the trails early to try to avoid some of the hot weather we've been having. We picked up the trail in North Raleigh where Noah and I left off (at the end of the Ironwood Trail) and walked the North Hills Trail and a little of the beginning of the Aleghaney Trail (until it runs under Lassiter Mill Road), where we turned around and headed back (about 3 miles in all).

While exploring the North Hills Trail we came upon North Hills Park. It was a really nice park with a huge play set (suitable for ages 5-12!), a baseball field, shaded tennis courts, and a lovely restroom facility. Nathan wanted to stop and play, and so who was I to say "no"? Once he got up there he started pressuring me to slide down the curved, tube slides. To be honest, I was not excited about the slide. Ever since an unfortunate incident in a nursing home elevator (while participating in a church service project) I've been a little uncomfortable in small, enclosed spaces. However, not wanting to disappoint my baby, I climbed the ladder and slide down. When I was about (what I estimated to be) half-way down I heard Nathan begin to side down. I used my feet to pull myself down to the bottom of the slide as quickly as I could, worrying that any second he was going to slide down on top of me and we were going to get stuck. After that he wanted me to slide down the other slide, which I (hesitantly) agreed to, so long as he agreed not to begin his slide until after I had exited the slide. Not two seconds after I began my slide I heard him come barreling down, practically right on top of me. Sufficed to say, we left immediately after. There's a reason there's an age limit on those play sets!

Now though, I wish I hadn't been so quick to leave that playground. If I'm being honest, there's probably not a whole lot of days left when Nathan is going to want to play on a playground, much less with his mom. What I really need to be doing is making sure that I'm taking full advantage of the days that are left. And so, irrational fears of being trapped in small spaces aside, we'll continue to search out playgrounds in Raleigh, and I'll continue to go down the slide. Next time though, I'll make Nathan go first.

Nathan: North Hills Trail was, by far, the steepest trail so far. My favorite part was when me and my mom found a play ground. I also walked across a pipe over a rushing river. I felt hot and tired. I wanted to go to sleep.