A Hike

This past weekend, I went on a hike with my kids on Vail Mountain. I don't think I'll ever forget it. It was a first with all four, as I mentioned in my previous post. And it was magically beautiful.

It began with a gondola ride up the mountain...

...and then a turn onto the Berry-Picker Trail.

Then for three timeless hours, we descended the through aspen forests, evergreens and meadows that will soon transform to ski paths. John stayed awake the whole time on my back. The older kids wore extra layers around their waist, but there arms swung empty-handed. June held my hand most of the way and confessed that she felt a little scared. She's always thinking about bears. But Clara and Will ran fast and fearlessly ahead. We'd find them hiding behind trees, around rocks, lying on the path.

Jeff walked up to meet us for the final stretch. I think he was concerned we might be hiking in the dark. But the timing was ideal. The sun was low and the shadows long. To me, the hike was epic. To the kids, who knows. Maybe an extention of their already magical imaginations. Then we came home the next day, and I threw spoons. But that's another story...