Something's Missing

Labor Day was fun.  We finally got the chance to hike our butts up the mountain in the place where I grew up to the infamous "B".  Ben, his girlfriend (Melinda), her brother (Mitchell), and Emily came with us.  Ben said he knew where the trail was.  He hiked a little ways ahead of us to look for it, couldn't find it, and so we went up the mountain, through the sagebrush.  Yay!  A hike that I remember taking maybe 2 hours, took 4.  There used to be a trail.  When I was a Sophomore in high school, our class hiked up there after school for the annual "lighting of the B" during the homecoming game.  I remember a trail.  I kept asking Emily, "Don't they still light the 'B' for Homecoming?"  She said she thought so, but seriously, if there is no trail up to it, I can't imagine the school district allowing it.  It was treacherous going back down.  I loved it when Ben went to go look for the trail back down, and Melinda said, "Yeah, because that worked out so well for you last time."  He he.  So true!  Ryan (my brother) claims there is still a trail, but he hasn't been up there in awhile himself, so maybe he can go find it since he has nothing else to do all day.  But I finally accomplished my goal of working out for 4 hours!  Now, I have no idea how I am ever going to keep up that goal - considering I don't usually have 4 hours to set aside for working out, what with having three kids and needing sleep.  It's just not gonna happen.  Maybe when Kaleb is in first grade.
I digress.
It was definitely an adventure, and I am not sorry we did it.  But, you know.  Trails just tend to make the journey a little easier.  Kaleb got carried most of the way back down the mountain, but he did not want to be carried while we were scaling the rocks, and when he was climbing back down them.  I piggy backed him  on the steep parts that were quite scary even for me.  Oh, yeah.  And Riley, on the way down, put his hand on a cactus.  So Emily made her facebook status "lesson of the day: cacti do not like high fives."  He was having fun up until that point.  But I didn't get a picture of it.  Dang it!

The Final Destination.  It's a good thing we planned to leave at 10 in the morning.  We left about at quarter to eleven.

Mitchell, Melinda, Ben, and Kaleb on the trail at the beginning.

Emily and Kaleb cutting through the sagebrush.  Apparently, he got a little scared when he couldn't see us for a bit.

One of the many grasshoppers we saw.  Riley said, "Mom!  Take a picture of this!"

Then they found a bone, and got really excited for me to take a picture of it.  But practically a foot away, we saw this:

And they decided that was even more exciting.  Decayed deer.  Yippee.  But then, Melinda went up the mountain a little more and said, "There's an even better one up here.  It's really gross.  I'm not going near it!"

She was right.  That is even better.  The kids were convinced it was attacked by a cougar.  I didn't get close enough to examine the body, and look for teeth marks on the bones.  I just took a picture.  I think it was either a baby or a juvenile, though.  It wasn't really that big.

We made it!  Ben kept saying, "It's just through these trees."  He was right.  A trail would have been nice, though.  Once, here, it was rock climbing!

The older boys climbed to the top of the "B" and back to the bottom before I even got to the bottom.  I'm a slow poke.

Riley and Zach waving at the top.

Kaleb made it!

This could be their engagement picture. :D  Hee hee hee!

Taking a break at the top.  Emily took a panoramic 360 degree picture for homework.  She could tell you the official name.  I don't remember.

This could be a great family picture for our Christmas cards!  The white paint looks like snow, right?

Mitchell brought binoculars, and let the boys take turns.

When we got up the mountain, it was lunchtime.  I thought we would be back by lunch!  Emily and Ben brought granola bars, and fruit snacks, though.  Hooray!

Emily has blue hair! :)

I guess throwing rocks isn't manly enough for Ben.  He has to throw a freaking boulder.  Thanks for the great example set for my children.  I was yelling, "Don't throw the rocks!" and what does he do!

I guess he was trying to eat her face.  Aw!  So cute!

He made it back down the "B"!  Such a trooper!

On our way down, we saw a helicopter.  He hovered by a telephone pole and moved on.  Ben said he did that at all of the telephone poles.  I wonder what that was all about.

Almost back to Grandma's.

Here's our silly monster!  :)  Look at Kaleb's left hand.  No, Kaleb's left - not your left!  Hee hee!  Sunday night he must have been bitten by a mosquito because when he got up, it was swollen and puffy.  He said it hurt too.  So we are so proud of him for coming up with us even when his hand was not feeling awesome!  Go Kaleb!  (Clicking on the picture will make it bigger if you want to see it better.)