loop de loop

One day we went for a family hike.

Doesn't that sound awesome and normal and everyday optional? Fact is, we were getting deep into the Christmas break and dangerously close to becoming lazy lieabout losers. It had been raining and there had been so much shopping and entertaining and eating and drinking and lazy lieabouting to do. But one day, it was sunny and clear with an impossibly blue sky, and we hauled our butts out of the house and into the D-A-Y.

When we suggested Mission Trails for our outing, the kids insisted that they only wanted to go if we promised to go to the top of the mountain. Um, have you met your mother, kids? Of course we're going to the top! 

We brought the beast along, though. And although gorgeous and kind and intelligent (cough, snort), she is not exactly slender, and she has bad joints.  So the plan was for all of us to start up, then have Bill bring her back down for a more horizontal romp when/if things got dicey. 

We set out on the clearly laid trail after checking out the visitor signs at the trail head. The route was called "Climbers Trail Loop."

When the dog barfed, I commented on the convenience of it being a loop so we wouldn't have to revisit the unfortunate pile on our return.  

"It's not a loop!" They said. "We just go up and then come back down!"

Now granted, this is an outing that Daddy usually takes solo with the kids when I throw them all out of the house. We'd never traversed this path as a family unit. Nevertheless, I found their protests ridiculous. It's a loop, for God's sake. Why would they call it a loop if it wasn't a loop?

Before the boys wimped out saved the dog and retreated back down to level ground, we had a crazycakes family self-portrait session that was just too awesome not to share.

first attempt...should have called it quits but I was unsatisfied with the background or something

Oh, that's much better.

etc

My girl rose to the challenge, because I was going up that damn mountain even if it meant flying solo. So on we went, climbing higher and higher til it seemed we were as high as we could get. 

girl power

Then we looked around at all the rocky trail-looking options we had to choose from. We stepped gingerly around a few groups of climbers traveling precariously up and down ropes on the vertical rock surfaces. It was maybe sorta kinda vaguely loopish and continuing, but I have to admit that I had a few moments of doubt and worry. We had to use all four limbs to scramble across several dicey spots, and we were way the hell up there.

My girl was being a trooper, but she was hot and  wanted a hair tie, and where the heck were we going? She'd never gone this way with dad.

downhill, honey. It's a L O O P

We made it. It was a loop. She threatened to pass out, and I made inspirational comments about the strength of her body and her resolve.

My girl and I looped that loop.

Then the boys came and picked us up, because loop doesn't necessarily mean circle. Apparently.