Playing in the Creek

Here we are playing in the Doubling Gap Run, which was right next to our campsite.  The creek was home to lots of crayfish.  Katy and Tara found them first, by scooping up some water in a container and spotting the "miniature lobster" they accidentally caught.  They had some concern that crayfish might attack their toes, but those fears were mostly put to rest.  Since then, I try to make sure we have a few dollar-store strainers along.  They're perfect for crayfish catching.

We found all sizes of crayfish, from almost 5" down to half an inch.  Tara was brave enough to hold the littlest one in her hand, and said it tickled!  Catching crayfish was largely my job, but they were eagerly collected and inspected by the girls.  I'm glad to say that all of them were released unharmed. We brought bamboo sticks for the girls to use as walking sticks, and they worked well as wading sticks too.  They have become a standard item with our camping gear.