Sunday we decided to go up to a mountain trail not far from where we live and see if we couldn't get some good pictures. We took along a few dolls, but when we got there it was just way too busy. Too many people were around, so we skipped the dolls. Lucky we did too, because it's quite a hike up the mountain for someone who doesn't do that kind of thing much (a.k.a. us), and the box of MSD dolls would've been unbearably heavy.
 |
| Beauty of Nature |
Part of the path is paved for a ways, and then you reach this nice, shady glen where there's a little river and a culvert spurting out water. From there on it's all gravel pathways. Usually, we're not too big on hikes, but my dad pressed us to keep going, so we did.
 |
| Tree That Probably Died in the Scorching Summer Heat Long Ago |
I got quite a few interesting photos, though it was about 1:30-ish in the afternoon and the sun was blazing high in the sky, making the lighting kind of harsh. But it was nice to see some really interesting flowers and attempt to take good pictures of them.
 |
| Pretty Orange Flowers Growing Out of the Side of the Mountain |
 |
| White Flower with Purple |
 |
| Delicate Purple Flowers along the Path |
 |
| Clusters of Purple Flowers |
 |
| Pink Flowers on a Thorny Bush |
 |
| Purple Flowers that Look like Daisies |
I don't know all that much about flowers, and I couldn't find what any of these were on the internet. Anyway, they were gorgeous and made a strenuous hike a little better.
 |
| "Waterfall" |
Here's the little "waterfall" in the shady spot.
 |
| Pipe under the Road |
And the moment I realized it's not a bridge and a waterfall, but a road and a pipe...
 |
| River to the Pipe |
And the river running on the other side of the pipe. There were quite a few people right in this area alone, sitting in the shade and enjoying the cool of the water. In fact, there was a family splashing in the river itself just across from here, and I was so hot I wouldn't have minded joining them. Our dog would've minded, though; she hates the water.
 |
| View from the Top |
The view from the top is pretty spectacular and almost made the terrible ache in our legs worth it. Almost... And just so you can get an idea of how high this really is, here's a picture zoomed in.
 |
| Blue Mountain Shadows in the Distance |
No it's not the highest or hardest hike you could take...it only feels like it when it's 80 degrees Fahrenheit, there's little shade, little breeze, and your whole lower half feels like you've been hit by a truck. Needless to say, we've been doing more walking at home. We really need to get in better shape if we hope to get some awesome doll photos in other places like this. We have plans for a trip this fall, for example, that will require an awful lot of walking so we better be prepared for that.
 |
| Shady Spot on the Way Down |
The way down is pretty steep but better shaded. It's also shorter, but did I mention that it was steep? The path makes a loop around back to the spot with the river, but the short way would've been almost worse than the long way, because even though there was a lot of shade it was almost straight up hill. In fact, I just about slipped once on the way down, so we were all glad we hadn't gone up that way.
 |
| Big Boulder by the River |
I walked a lot faster on the way down than on the way up and was in the lead with the dog, who hates being behind anyone in our family when we walk anywhere. She whines and cries and puts up a real fuss if any of us is in front of her. It makes no sense, but she's always been that way. I even saw a lizard on the way down, and I screamed a little when I did. Not because I'm afraid of a little lizard that was barely six inches long, but because it blended into the path and wasn't moving and then it was. It startled me pretty badly, but I managed to hold back the scream to one tiny squeak.
 |
| Abandoned Lizard Home |
And we saw this hollow tree stump on the way down. People had been tossing rocks into it, so my sister threw one in too. My mom said not to stick my hand into it, and I definitely wouldn't have, but if I'd brought one of my little dolls along, they would've had to take a closer look, I'm sure.
Finally, we made it back to the car, and turned the AC up full blast. We were all sweaty and exhausted, even my dad, who golfs a lot and is in the best shape of the four...ahem, five of us. Actually, my dog, who hates the car, was so worn out she almost fell asleep in the car on the way home--almost, but not quite. And she's in great shape...
~SilverStar-Burst
Comments
Post a Comment