Yesterday morning was gorgeous and the rest of the week is supposed to warm up AND there was no baseball, so I decided we needed to climb Ryan Mountain in Joshua Tree National Park now or wait until next year. The boys were up for it and I didn't even have to bribe them! Later, I did need to offer them $5 to get to the top, but it was rigorous and for some reason I desperately needed to get to the top.
So we rushed through chores and such, got the crock pot going, quick Latin study, and headed out the door. When we started walking up the steps on the path I remembered how hard this was going to be...for me anyway. I'm not in the best shape you know!
It was nice though. Not to hot (there is absolutely no shade on this hike) and the wind was mild enough to keep us cool but not blow us off the mountain like the last time we tried this. Lots of green stuff growing right now and flowers!
We found recent Big Horn Sheep poo so kept an eye out but never saw them. One guy that passed us told us he saw them at the beginning of the trail and someone else on our way down said he saw them earlier, so we must have walked right by them. No surprise though. I keep telling the boys to be more quiet so we can see critters, but they are pretty rowdy.
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| A Face Looking Up at the Sky |
On the way up, we passed a older (than me) couple coming down so I told the boys if we couldn't make it, then there was something seriously wrong with us.
The top was amazing! You can see the whole park! Next to Keys View it's one of my favorite places in the park, but Keys is easier to get to.
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| Just Keep Walking |
On the way down, I fell...three times! The first time, I turned my ankle but walked it off. The second time, I slipped on the sandy rocks and landed on my rear. Tom looked back and said I should be careful here and here and here, and then I fell again. I just sat there and said I was going to take a rest right there. I almost cried. Stupid rocks! The walk down is just as steep as the walk up, so my knees had had it. It was still fun though. And I'd do it again!
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| Hmm...Nice View! |
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| Tom Falling |
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| Panorama of the Valley View |
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| We Made It |
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| And Back Down the Mountain |
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| Awesome Orange Flowers in a Rock |
So we rushed through chores and such, got the crock pot going, quick Latin study, and headed out the door. When we started walking up the steps on the path I remembered how hard this was going to be...for me anyway. I'm not in the best shape you know!
It was nice though. Not to hot (there is absolutely no shade on this hike) and the wind was mild enough to keep us cool but not blow us off the mountain like the last time we tried this. Lots of green stuff growing right now and flowers!
