Climbing the Mountain

HIKING!

My most favorite activity in the whole wide world!

Tyler puts it like this:

Getting dropped off at the bottom of the mountain.

Walking UP the mountain.

Walking DOWN the mountain.

Coming home and saying "BOY that was fun!" as you collapse from exhaustion.

Come on though, there's something just fun about conquering the steep climbs!

Especially when you have biggest-or-smallest-acorn-finding-contests along the way. There were just loads of 'em all over. So why not?

And the trail goes up and up and up...

Morale is still high...but some were getting tired of the steady climb.

Kate taking a hard-earned break.

Tyler daring Sam to invade his log territory.

Actually, Tyler was more than happy to take LOTS of breaks...he was quite exhausted from carrying that BIG camera around. Weren't ya bro?

And the lovely view from the lookout tower at the top of our mountain.

Here's everyone trying to find the oldest "two-legged termite" mark.

I'd have to check with Sam...but I think it was 1941. Just before America entered WW2. 

This thing's been standin' a good while.

And this is the grave of the man who worked in the forest(s).

Actually, it's the grave of a man who was probably a child when his family lived in the cabin in the pictures a bit further down. They moved to California, but I guess he requested to be buried at his old home.

Hikin' down to Jesse's Cove.

Hard to imagine this was a place the family poured their lives into, trying to make a living in the mountains. Father Workman probably strode down this path to go out hunting or...cut logs...whatever he did. The little Workmans probably ran up and down this path alllll the time. With mother trying to keep tabs on them all while doing her own many tasks.

Things don't really change that much.

:)

I'm sure you all know what this is.

Probably the first thing Father Workman built, after all their long travels, with the children saying,

"Are we there YET?!?!?"

"I'm hungry!"

"I have to go to the baaaathroooom."

Like I said...do things change much?

Well okay, so maybe the average house size has changed a little.

And you really can read this if you zoom in and are interested.

Kind of a dark little place. I hope they had plenty of candles 

I would just love to know who the families were that lived here, and what life was really like for them here.

But onward! After another break.

WHAT!?!? The lookout is STILL 3 miles away?

But wait...we've already been there...which means we're now at the other trailhead!!

Now we just have the walk down the road back to our cabin. 

Lovely way to spend an afternoon!