Hiking

Last Saturday, I went on a hike with Aous and Jena in Chautaqua Park (I never really know where to put all the "u's,"I just guess). We hiked up to the Royal Arch or the Royal Gorge Arch, I'm not sure which.

It was a pretty strenuous hike, and it was Jena's first real hike, so she was a trooper. Aous is afflicted with the same syndrome as me, namely, Mountain Goat Legs. This sounds like it should be good, but it's really not. What it means is that you feel compelled to scramble up steep hillsides at a quick, strenuous pace, which is usually not in keeping with the fitness or either heart nor lungs. The result is that if unchecked, we could end up at the top of a mountain, dripping with sweat, breathing heavily and so exhausted we can hardly make it back down the mountain on our shaking quads (this may or may not be true for Aous, but is certainly true for me!)

The hike itself was actually quite beautiful. More treed than Nevada hikes in the foothills, but more varied flora than the hikes in the Sierras. The only thing that I wasn't in love with were the crowds, but that was because we went on a Saturday when the weather was excellent, so the entire city was at the park. When we actually got to the arch, there was already a crowd at the top, which turned out to be OK with me, since heights aren't really my thing, so I had a buffer between me and Boulder Vallley. The views were pretty amazing, but I'd love to come back on a less crowded day, so I'm not forced to get lots of nice strangers in my pictures (she provides perspective?).

Today, Will was a little cranky, so I took him down to the creek for a little cool air, change or scenery, and of course, a nice, soothing stroller ride across lots of bumps and things (the child loves movement. I was playing around with the black and white mode on my camera and got some nice shots, with which I will leave you. I dare you not to want to kiss those cheeks!















And because teething hurts:



















Finally, Will's mom (Jessie) chose a shirt that perfectly describes him (it says "heart breaker" if you can't read it):