A Mountaintop Experience

Since he had the day off on Monday, Joel had been wanting to hike up a nearby smallish mountain to camp on Sunday night. I had reluctantly agreed, knowing that it would be pretty cool to see the view by the sunset, full moon, and sunrise. However, he was gone all afternoon at a music practice, so we didn’t have anything packed and I wasn’t too disappointed when it started looking like he would get back too late to still go (by my estimation). I knew the sun would set at 7:15, so when Joel came rushing in at 6:35 excited to get going, I thought he was a little crazy. Especially when he went out to the barn with his dad, digging around for their little propane stove. (I found out later his dad thought it was crazy, too.) I did my best to send subtle messages that there was no way we could fit all the stuff he was wanting to take, that our tent and sleeping bags would be impossible to hike with, that if we were going to do this we at least needed to forget about the stupid propane stove and get out of here so we wouldn’t be hiking in the dark. That really wasn’t my idea of what this little outing was going to be, and a big part of why I had agreed to go was, as I said, to see the sunset from *already on top of the mountain.* Also, those of you who know me know that I really don’t do last-minute, ill-planned, rushed adventures. Joel wasn’t going to give up though. He was determined to give me a fun time no matter how much I protested.
I have to give it to him though, we made it to the top with a little bit of light and color to spare, and didn’t forget or overlook anything (except of a spare pair of socks for Joel). I even did eventually have fun.

Heading out. Like the chivalrous man he is, Joel insisted on carrying most of the load. The flash made it look darker than it really was.

I saw this with my flashlight at night. What animal would be up here that would make a poop that large? All we could think of was a bear...I was a little nervous after that. The next day, Joel suggested it was probably actually a moose. Wish he would have thought of that the night before.

The view from our campsite. It is literally the top of the mountain; you can see around all sides (except where some trees are).

The sunrise. It was worth it.

Morning coffee (I had tea). Hot drinks were worth it, too.

In the daylight we could see that the whole trail was lined with blackberries!

Yum!