Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 3, 1995 TAG: 9504040019
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BRIAN KELLEY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
The Daleville tots earned the club's 113-miler patch on the backs of their parents, Therese and Homer Witcher.
Taylor, now 4, completed the trail between Lickskillet Hollow in Bland County and Black Horse Gap in Botetourt County before she reached 4 months. Early last year, Bennett reached the milestone before 3 months.
The Witchers, dedicated hikers, backpackers and Appalachian Trail maintainers, believe in introducing their children to nature through hiking.
"We love hiking and we want them to," Therese Witcher said. "I'm hoping it's a lifetime thing."
"It teaches your kid there's more to life than just the electronic marvels of today," Homer Witcher said. "It beats them watching the Power Rangers, if nothing else."
Because Taylor now weighs in at 35 pounds, she's a little too big to be carried comfortably. "Carrying a 4-year-old, to me, is harder than carrying a backpack," Homer Witcher said.
The Witchers, therefore, have concentrated on shorter hikes to build Taylor's stamina, such as walking in to trail shelters for weenie roasts with friends.
"When you make little things like that pleasurable, they remember," Therese Witcher said.
Taylor also is learning a little about nature, though she'll probably have to be older to retain the knowledge. "She knows a few of the flowers. We worked some on that last summer. She can spot deer tracks and groundhog holes," Therese Witcher said.
by CNB