Yes. That Y. Makes me kind of tired just looking at it.
Twenty years ago last month, Tom and I hiked the Y for our first "official" date. I'll tell you the story sometime. Twenty years seems like a long time to know someone, doesn't it? That's more than half my lifetime.
Everyone is always so cheerful at the trailhead, full of excitement for the adventure ahead. Fools--all of them.
You may notice the absence of Megan in these photos. That's because she elected to play with her cousins over hiking the Y with us. Smart girl.
Guys, the Y is UP the trail. Get moving.
A much needed rest, to enjoy the view. The Marriott Center is on the far left.
Yeah, that little white flat box thing. Waaaay down there.
Finally, after much huffing and puffing, perseverance, and whining on my part, we made it to the top. What looks so white and crisp and smooth from the valley floor is a bit underwhelming up close. Notice that the paint has chipped away from the rock/cement mixture at the bottom of this pic.
Look at the chillins, so proud of themselves. And with good reason. They remained cheerful and energetic through the whole hike. Unlike their mother, who transformed into a whiny baby before the first switchback.
They basked in their conquest of the mountain, and celebrated by tossing pebbles down the Y, with the occasional chocolate chip added in when mom wasn't looking. Extensive experiments show that pebbles bounce farther than chocolate chips. You might want to file that little factoid away for future reference.
Back at the bottom, Karianne and Nathan reclining on the roof of the privy. I hope they didn't do any peeping down the skylight while I was in there.
And finally, a picturesque sunset across the lake to top off a perfect afternoon. Let's do this again sometime. After I'm dead would be good.
