We went to Pinnacle Mountain Saturday for a hike. We have gone here once or twice before and hiked the base trail, but that was last year. We start hiking and shortly into the hike I comment that we could not be on the base trail because we were continually going uphill. Paul just kinda shrugged his shoulders and kept going. Well, we came to a boulder field! I thought that was the end of the trail, but we saw red and white paint blazes on the rocks (these blazes mark the trail). I did not think the boys would be able to climb so we were going to turn around, but Paul wanted to go check it out first because it looked like we were pretty close to the top. I told him we would wait, but when I looked up, Isaac and Caleb were already climbing the rocks.
Somehow I managed to get the energy to climb with them. I did not like the idea of Paul climbing these boulders with Bryce on his back and Caleb and Isaac billygoating up the mountain. So Paul stuck with Caleb and Isaac and I followed. I was so proud of the boys! They climbed almost to the top. We found a little ledge close to the top that we perched ourselves on. They wanted to go the rest of the way up, but there was a pretty good-sized group going that way and we did not want to get in their way. So we sat and drank some water and took some pictures and just took in the view.
I am so proud of all of the boys, but especially Isaac. He had very minimal help and there was no complaining. This was a pretty streneous hike and nothing like Isaac had ever done before! I was so proud of him to see how far he had come. This is, after all, the first summer that Isaac has been able to hike even a short, flat distance without complaining the whole time and being carried most of the way. We have only been on one or two hikes so far this year, because Paul has been out of town so much.
He was so cute on the way down. He was tired and it is harder for him to get down then up because it is pretty slick. He was wanting to be done, but instead of crying or whining, he found something to focus on. The whole way down the side of the mountain, he kept repeating "my Papa is going to be so proud of me!" When he would get discouraged or a little scared I would remind him that when we get to the bottom he could call his Papa and tell him he climbed a mountain by himself, and he would get the strength to keep going.
When not in the boulder fields, Bryce walked. His feet get going faster than his brain sometimes, and it was still pretty rocky. He fell a couple of times, but overall he did good and hiked all that we would let him!
Round trip it was a mile and a half hike. It was a pretty good hike, and I can't wait to have the energy to be able to do it more often. The boys all asked Sunday morning if we could go hike the mountain again, but go completely to the top. Maybe next weekend!!!
