"You've got to be kidding me," My breath sent white clouds into chilly air. I stared at the expansive mountains that loomed above me, a thin rocky trail disappearing into it's forest.
Mckenna's teeth chattered as she stood beside me. We all looked like we knocked old men over the side of the rocks and stolen their clothes. It was something I found quite humorous really, because in order to conserve warmth, we had donned Daddy-coats | leggings | gloves | sweatshirts & settled in for a long hike up Crabtree Falls.
... in the dead of winter.
Okay, so my feet dragged, the temperature gauge taunted me from the moment I'd woken up. Nathan had spent the night and we'd all crashed on the floor in the family room watching movies late into the night. Every so often I had woken up frozen, even my nose was cold. This is when I dreamed of getting frost-bite on the side of the mountain and losing fingers. * gasp *
It wasn't deathly cold, no. And the view was spectacular, yes. Still though, I have gone in Summer when the trees are leafy and green, the air smells sweet with sunshine and honeysuckle and really, I think I much prefer hiking in shorts & a t-shirt in warm weather. That's just me, of course.
Well ... maybe a handful of others too! * wink *
When the trail had turned into nothing but icy rocks and deep mud, I questioned our sanity. I turned around on the trail, holding on to a branch to steady myself as I looked over our rag tag little group. There was no segregation amongst the group, everyone stuck together swapping stories and sharing trail food.
Here's a picture of the some of the teens at the overlook once we reached the top. The sun was shining down, the air had warmed an appreciative few degrees and everyone enjoyed taking a breather.
While it wasn't in the top ten fun things to do on a Winter day, it was obviously a great time to bond for the youth group. And by the time we had reached the top, the view was just so amazing.
In fact, it took my breath away because it felt as if I were standing on top of the whole wide world ... Definitely worth the cold climb.
Did I just say that?! Okay yes, I did. And there isn't much doubt in my mind that I'd probably enjoy going again, if the weather is just a teensy bit warmer. But then again, there are such wonderful things called Hot Hands and they are tiny pockets of amazing-ness; little pouches of warmth that lasts for 10 hours. How do you like that?
That was two Saturdays ago and I've just gotten around to posting a few pictures. Unfortunately, I had forgotten my camera, thus all the pictures came from my cellphone. But really, it isn't half bad when it comes to caputring those spur of the moment finds or some wonderful memories. It's truly a handy little thing to carry around in your back pocket. * winks *
Mckenna's teeth chattered as she stood beside me. We all looked like we knocked old men over the side of the rocks and stolen their clothes. It was something I found quite humorous really, because in order to conserve warmth, we had donned Daddy-coats | leggings | gloves | sweatshirts & settled in for a long hike up Crabtree Falls. ... in the dead of winter.
Okay, so my feet dragged, the temperature gauge taunted me from the moment I'd woken up. Nathan had spent the night and we'd all crashed on the floor in the family room watching movies late into the night. Every so often I had woken up frozen, even my nose was cold. This is when I dreamed of getting frost-bite on the side of the mountain and losing fingers. * gasp *
It wasn't deathly cold, no. And the view was spectacular, yes. Still though, I have gone in Summer when the trees are leafy and green, the air smells sweet with sunshine and honeysuckle and really, I think I much prefer hiking in shorts & a t-shirt in warm weather. That's just me, of course.
Well ... maybe a handful of others too! * wink *
When the trail had turned into nothing but icy rocks and deep mud, I questioned our sanity. I turned around on the trail, holding on to a branch to steady myself as I looked over our rag tag little group. There was no segregation amongst the group, everyone stuck together swapping stories and sharing trail food. Here's a picture of the some of the teens at the overlook once we reached the top. The sun was shining down, the air had warmed an appreciative few degrees and everyone enjoyed taking a breather.
While it wasn't in the top ten fun things to do on a Winter day, it was obviously a great time to bond for the youth group. And by the time we had reached the top, the view was just so amazing.
In fact, it took my breath away because it felt as if I were standing on top of the whole wide world ... Definitely worth the cold climb.
Did I just say that?! Okay yes, I did. And there isn't much doubt in my mind that I'd probably enjoy going again, if the weather is just a teensy bit warmer. But then again, there are such wonderful things called Hot Hands and they are tiny pockets of amazing-ness; little pouches of warmth that lasts for 10 hours. How do you like that?
That was two Saturdays ago and I've just gotten around to posting a few pictures. Unfortunately, I had forgotten my camera, thus all the pictures came from my cellphone. But really, it isn't half bad when it comes to caputring those spur of the moment finds or some wonderful memories. It's truly a handy little thing to carry around in your back pocket. * winks *
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