The festive season between Halloween and New Years, for many people, is full of traditions. Foods, activities, decorations, maybe travel. All the things. And our family is no different, though as we grow up the traditions tend to change a little bit. Put all together, meshed with all the years past, these little habits and rituals weave their way into a strong and lasting family narrative. They become part of us. Who we are.

Over the last few years, there is an additional holiday for our family that has become every bit as import and ritualized for us as Christmas or Thanksgiving. Opening Day. Just saying it out loud makes my heart skip a little. It has a feel to it. There are certain smells and tastes and sounds that go along with the day. Certain customs. But first, the lead-up...

Here we are, two months before, checking our gear and making sure we have our passes. A month- checking our clothing. Two weeks- make sure the cars are ready. A week- try everything on, last minute checks, go into emergency mode over lost or damaged items. A day- fill up with gas. Charge our phones and Bluetooth helmets. Pack our bags. And then we are loading up the car and pulling out of the driveway. It's snowing.

We drive up to Wallace where we start the fireplace and turn the lights down low. We bake pizza and play games as a family while music plays in the background. And then we are heading up to watch The Movie. "Better Off Dead-" a ridiculous little tradition, but we can still quote every word and laugh at every punchline. We have dessert, and then we are laying out our clothes and trying to get some sleep, which is difficult because of the excitement. 

Let's interject here to make one thing clear. All of this is not simply about one day. It's not even about skiing. Rather, it's about an entire season. It's about road trips, and frozen faces, and hotel stays, and chair lift rides and eating lunch together. It's about challenging ourselves, and getting lost, and having hard days and doing hard things. It's about being completely absorbed in a single moment, whether that moment be joyful, or proud, or congenial, or scary, or somewhere in between. And really, in a lot of ways, Opening Day feels like it's a celebration of us- as in capital "U" Us- the Hazard Family, being together and being ourselves and having both of those things balance in a way that seems to work better in these settings than almost any other. 

Morning of- we make a nice breakfast and eat while at the same time putting on layers. It is controlled chaos for a while, but we each take a few quiet moments for ourselves to watch the large snowflakes floating lazily onto the streets and rooftops below. We sip warm beverages. It's going to be a good day.

The drive from our house only takes a few minutes, and then we are walking to the gondola. The falling snow, the music in the village, the outdoor fireplaces, and the people milling about in clunky boots all seem warmly familiar. Welcoming. We give little nods of recognition and acknowledgement to people we remember from last year. It's here.

We do the first run as a family. A groomer. That is also part of the tradition. We wait at each pitch and check in on each other before going all the way down. And then we are off into small groups. From all over the mountain you can hear woops of unrestrained glee. Something about the movement makes you into a kid again, and you can see it not just in yourself, but in the people around you as well. Lunchtime is jovial, and you eat cosmic brownies while replaying the highs and lows of the day. And then back for more. 

And the next day... And the week after that... And the week after that...

It's going to be a great year and we couldn't have asked for a better start. We had to wait until January last year for conditions like this. On this Thanksgiving season I am so glad and thankful for that November day back in 2017 when we were going stir crazy with small kids in a small house and we only had 12 hours of cold daylight and we decided to go to a ski-swap just so we would have something to do to pass the time. We spent like a hundred bucks that day and outfitted the whole family with janky gear. And the rest is history. 

This is what started it all

Look at this ragtag bunch!

Happy Opening Day! 

Last minute adjustments

The excitement is real

Have a good week!

It's been a couple of weeks since I got on here. Though there haven't been any major events, we have still been our normal active selves. Silver Mountain opens this weekend and we are all excited to begin the season. This also means that we will probably have at least one ski picture every week for the next several months. It's just what we do. Until then though, here is a recap of what we have been up to.

Campus tour: We went down to University of Idaho in Moscow and walked around the campus. We went into most of the buildings, looked at the bulletin boards, peaked into classrooms and laboratories. We took a walk down Greek row, through the on-campus dorms, over to the campus bookstore, and then to a pizza place where we watched a football game on tv (UI happened to be playing). We imagined what life might be like for some of the kids if they were going to school here- where they would live, what buildings they might spend time in, and what things they would do for fun. It was a neat day, but kind of crazy to think about. Ev will be a senior next year and college isn't that far in our future. We'll try, over the next year or so, to visit several campuses so that when the time comes there will be some idea of what to expect.

Attic project: We are getting close with the attic in Wallace. We have gone up once as a family, and a couple of times with just Rach and me to work on it. Spending the night up there still feels like a vacation every time and we always have fun. We will probably finish the walls and ceiling next time we go up and will be ready to install carpet. It's actually very exciting. One kind-of unexpected turn of events is when we showed up one day to find one of our attic windows broken out. We put a board over it and got an estimate for a new one. This was just before we left to NYC last month. Well, that little detour turned out in the best way possible with us getting new big picture windows for very little cost due to some kind of energy-efficient-rebate-by-the-state-of-Idaho sort of deal. Neat! We are planning a nice reading nook around these windows, as they have a great view over Wallace and the Silver Valley.

The last two things were our last two weekends.

Other things that seem sort of significant(ish): Trampoline park. Ev/Addy band trip to Pullman (WSU). Maren choir concert. Car repairs. New oven. Fun new clothes for Rach and me. Getting ready for ski season. Playing in church with Ev. Rachel ordained a Deacon. Dad/Maren date to makeup tutorial. Addy/Ev super busy with band stuff. We never see Ev anymore because she is always either busy with school or going to concerts. Movie date with Rachel. It's always cold and dark and wet and gloomy but also a little bit cozy. 

Have a good week!

Halloween Night. Maren was gone at a sleepover. Ev was in CDA with friends. Jack, Addy, and Lindsey were out in various parts of town, each with separate groups of friends. Rach and I looked at each other- what do grown-ups do on Halloween? This is the first time in a very long time that we had no kids around on this night. There was no rush to assemble costumes or end-of-the-night candy exchange. Our family is growing up. We handed out candy and had a good night, but it was a little odd, and Lindsey was the only other person in the house when we finally went to bed.

The kids all had a good time. Ev poked some holes in a shirt in a weak attempt at creating a zombie costume, but really spent the majority of the night just hanging out at friends' houses. The others did dress up, but were all pretty much on their own with the costume thing.

Here are some photos:

These photos were taken a week before up in Kellogg. Addy is "The Night." Her best friend is a vampire, who can only exist in "the night," so that's kind of cute. Lindsey is a...Skeleton queen...or something?

Maren is a ghost. So was her friend, so that went together. Jackson is an anime character named Himiko Toga. He is NOT SAILOR MOON! SAILOR MOON DOESN'T CARRY A KNIFE- OBVIOUSLY!!! He worked really hard to make this costume himself, and was super proud of it. Also, it takes a very secure guy to hang out all night with your friends while wearing a skirt.

Besides Halloween night we have been pretty quiet around here- maybe recovering a little from our amazing trip to New York. 

Well- as I say that, I realize that Rachel traveled to Seattle for work, and interpreted a Halloween play that was the result of a flurry of activity on her part. Her and I also went out to see a play at the Civic Theater, and the whole family plus one friend saw the Broadway tour of Come From Away. We went to Kellogg for a Halloween celebration up in the Silver Valley, Jack and I got a ton of stuff done around the house to get things ready for winter, and Addy and Evelyn are missing school tomorrow for a big Jazz band competition that has caused no small amount of stress. 

So, yeah- relatively quiet.

Have a good week!

Are we overdoing the theater thing? Between us all, we have seen SEVEN shows in the last two weeks. This was the third time I have seen Come From Away, but I still love the show because it validates my own worldview that people are essentially good and will come together in times of crisis. "A candle's in the window and the kettle's always on" seems like a much more positive way to live than "stock up on ammo, hunker down, and don't tread too closely." Maybe I've always been a Newfoundlander at heart and I just feel defensive because I live in North Idaho.

An Enemy of the People- classic Arthur Miller.

Macbeth in all its Shakespearian glory. Rachel had a friend in this, and really, the actors did a great job. Especially as they tried to put some life into the archaic language of the play. Bravo. However- I think I'll share out loud the popular opinion that nobody will actually say in polite company- I don't love Shakespeare. I have tried. I have read all of his most acclaimed works- a few of them multiple times. I have seen the plays performed, and I have taken university-level classes devoted to both his poetry and his prose. And yet, as foundational as it is, I still think it is outdated and, to be frank, a little boring. 

I am sitting on a bench in Central Park after walking up 5th Avenue from our hotel. It's a perfect afternoon- mid 60s, and a light breeze to raise the sweet, earthy smell of crisp fallen leaves. The air carries the soft sound of a fingerpicked guitar, mixed with distant undertones of a jazz saxophone from further off. Rachel sits down next to me after browsing the offerings of a street vendor, and we just settle into the tranquility of the day. 

Just when things seemed almost perfect, a slight gust of wind sent showers of leaves flying throughout the entire scene. It was as if we were in a snow storm, but with flakes of gold and crimson falling all around us. A little girl with blonde hair and a wool jacket ran into the picture and started dancing, trying to catch the leaves before they hit the ground. Peeking into our peripheral vision was a young couple holding hands, laughing as they picked pieces out of each other's hair. The music played on, Rachel nestled a little closer into my shoulder, and I detached just enough to allow ephemeral waves of contentment to fix this delicate moment into my memory. It was perfect.

That was my favorite part of the week.

*****

Rachel and I sat at a table about 15 feet from the stage. The gathering was intimate- specifically designed for "MAC" members, an organization made "to advance the art and business of live entertainment in Manhattan." I'm still a little unclear about how we even found ourselves in this room, but we were surrounded by professional entertainers, meeting here to try new material "among friends" before bringing it to larger venues. Some of the people were big names, involved in shows we had heard of. Others were upstarts, trying to make their way in a competitive field. As for us- along with about 6 other people? We were just along for the ride.

We sipped our drinks and savored the food, but the real delicacies were coming from the musicians up front. At one point an established singer- an older woman with a voice like melted chocolate- sang a ballad about "The Moments in Between." She had given an introduction to the song, speaking of how we often focus of life's milestones and important events, but how really it's the small moments that end up mattering more- things like getting caught in the rain, taking a deep breath before a jump, or saying I love you under the lights of the city. These are the times that make us who we are, and that this song was her way of asking- begging- her former self to appreciate them more. 

It was a beautiful song. I even teared up a little. When I looked over, Rachel was holding a napkin to her eyes, and we gave each other a little squeeze as we held hands across the table. No words were required; that look and that squeeze said it all. I feel like the luckiest guy on the planet.

There's gonna be a whole lot of selfies on this post. That's what happens when there are only two of us.

*****

That night was only one of many that we would spend with amazing performers. Of course, New York wouldn't be "New York" if not for Broadway, and we were able to see three shows while we were there. The one that stood out though- and really the one that pushed us over the edge to come all this way in the first place- was The Outsiders. Adalie had seen it on her class trip, and it wasn't even a full week after she told us about it that we were booking our tickets.

Woah. I don't know that I could really do justice to this performance in a single paragraph. The choreography of the entire show was masterful- not just during the songs, but during the spoken parts as well. Light and Sound were also so freely played with that they almost became supporting characters themselves, and as all of these elements were manipulated I felt that the real artistry here was how easily they were able to have their way with my own emotions, almost like my insides were mere colors on a palate with the actors as painters seeing just how far they could go. The show itself was gritty and told a compelling story with only the shadows of a happy ending. I mean, I was expecting a lot, but nothing of this caliber.

After the show, we went out with friends from New Jersey who had come up to see us. We had dinner and then headed to a jazz club with a dance floor and a big band. After getting warmed up there, we walked a few blocks over to Haswell Greens- an all request piano bar- and sang and danced with the increasingly rowdy crowd until it closed well past midnight. It has been a while since I have had that much fun!

*****

This morning I read an article in National Geographic (stay with me here, I promise it's related) about two rock climbers. They wanted to climb a peak called Devil's Thumb in Alaska, but instead of merely flying to their destination like normal people, they decided to ride their bikes from Colorado up through Canada, and then take a sailboat and sea kayaks the rest of the way before even putting on their packs or racking up for the climb itself. In other words, they took Ralph Waldo Emmerson at his word that "It's not the destination, it's the journey," and put that to the test.

As they found, and as I have found so many times over again, the quote holds true. And the idea that the journey IS the destination became the main incentive behind our decision to walk to our various destinations around Manhattan rather than take public transit or a taxi cab. When you walk, you force things to slow down. You notice more. You engage all of the senses. You feel more like you are a part of the city, rather than a spectator inside of it. I love walking. 

From feeling small among the huge buildings of Lower Manhattan, full of the people who run the world, to feeling extremely impressed if also slightly repelled by the excess-on-display of Midtown, the main point was that I was feeling. I was there, completely immersed in this place. 

Of all the areas we walked, two highlights immediately come to mind. The first started out as a little detour, but ended as a walk of borrowed nostalgia into a world that no longer exists. What I am talking about, of course, is the route, starting in the building that used to be CBGB, down Bleeker street from the East Village, moving across the island into Greenwich Village, and then circling back around to Washington Square park. Oh, the history that has taken place in these streets! From Simon and Garfunkel to punk rock to the plays of Jonathan Larsen, I couldn't help but be in awe as I stood in the very places referenced in so much of my own cultural upbringing. So many stories and music speaking of love and pain and hardship and starving artists and struggling and angry youth- so much lore and history that forms almost a sort of mythology at the very foundations of where culture is today. I mean, I don't consider myself a music or a history buff, but it is hard to have grown up with these icons and not feel something as you walk the roads that are now filled with boutiques and high-end housing for the ultra-rich. Washington Square did retain somewhat of what I imagined it to be in the past, as groups of kids passed around guitars (among other things), or sold art, or held public memorials. It was a nice walk, and definitely a feature that stands out in our week.

A lot has happened on this stage

The second place that really stands out in our wanderings is the time we spent in St. Patrick's Cathedral. At the front of the building was a desk where we got the self-guided audio tour, but before it could begin I found myself just sitting in one of the pews, overcome with the majesty and grandeur of the place. From the soaring architecture to the the stained glass windows, it evoked in me such numinous feelings of sonder that I couldn't help but be overwhelmed. When the pipe organ played it penetrated the soul, and I can see how people would feel deeply connected to something bigger in a place like this. We sat there for about twenty minutes without saying a single word to each other, and then stood and started walking around. About an hour later we emerged back onto the busy streets feeling changed. I think that at some point Rachel listened to some highlights of the tour. As for me, I found my headphones still stuffed into the bottom of my pockets, untouched, when I went to bed at the end of the day.

*****

If you have actually read up to this point, I'm not sure whether I should congratulate you or issue an apology. I wanted to get these things written down for myself though. As I have mentioned many times in the past, this blog is a family journal that we print out at the end of the year, and these stories felt meaningful enough to include. The experiences that I have written about thus far are the main things that come to mind when I think of our trip to New York. There was much more though, and like a large orchestra with second and third chairs to add texture and depth to the music, these things probably won't have a lasting impact, but definitely played a part in our week. Here are a few of them, in no particular order:

Stereophonic: This Tony-winning "Best Play" left me feeling quite unsettled, in that it hinted at certain themes without explicitly telling me what to think about them. For that, I am extremely grateful to the writers. On its surface, the play follows a band as they record a best-selling album. It uses much of the same tropes and characters as other "band dramas," but does an exceptional job of "selling" the story, as it is told by talented actors. The script effectively uses awkwardness and silence to give a voyeuristic feel as you listen in on intimate conversations and watch the eventual demise of something that could have been beautiful. On a deeper level, the play is a case study into the interaction of differing worldviews- you have the stoic, the narcissist, the hedonist, the existentialist, the nihilist, and the pragmatist all interacting on different levels and it makes for a thoughtful experience lasting well past the final curtain call. In fact, I still can't let it go. I think that says something.

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA): Famous for being the home of art by Vincent Van Gogh, Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol (among others), MoMA is a must-stop destination. And it's cool. But I'll be honest here, outside of seeing some of the more famous pieces, I think that for my time, I would rather go to the MET or the Guggenheim. If I ever find myself back at this place, I will hope to spend less of my visit indoors and more time taking in the amazing ambience they create in the outdoor sculpture garden. It would be sublime to just settle in to that place with a good book and a warm beverage on a brisk spring or autumn day.

Um...Okay then. This was actually made of metal and protruded from the wall, facts that make it hard to see from a 2d photo unless you notice the shadows. Not too sure what it is though.

Picasso goat, because goats are funny and cool

9/11 Memorial and Museum: Though I had already seen it before, the outdoor memorial was the most striking part of this entire thing for me. I had not been through the inside part until this visit though, and was a little bit underwhelmed. This may be because I had heard it talked about in such soaring terms that my expectations were set too high. For me though, there was a lot of "well-that's-interesting" type of trivia, as well as a section honoring individual victims that felt less exploitive than I had imagined it would, so that was good. Looking back on actual video of the incident brought back certain memories, but not any sweeping waves of sadness or outrage or patriotism that it seemed to be trying for. On the whole, I felt as I have in the past visiting Civil War battlegrounds or watching documentaries on the bombing of Hiroshima- a sense of human tragedy without it being specific or personal to me in any way. Maybe I was too young, or too out of touch at the time for it to cause lasting sentiment.

Catacombs By Candlelight: This was actually really cool. Though I wrote at length about my visit to St. Patrick's Cathedral in earlier paragraphs, we spent more time touring the smaller, older, more original St. Patrick's- the graveyard, the grounds, the sanctuary, and the catacombs beneath. Much of the content of this tour was relevant not only to the church, but to the history of the neighborhood around it and of some of the more prominent people and events in New York in the 1800s. It makes me want to watch Gangs of New York again.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: This seemed like a charming little bit of fan fiction (I know it was JKR though), a theatrical romp into the wizarding world. Though it relies heavily on plot and little on substance, this family-friendly play was a pleasure to watch. Some of the "magic" effects were surprising and fun, and older audiences can appreciate some loose themes of friendship and father-son dynamics.

Natural History Museum: I love this place. One of these days I am going to visit New York with the intention of spending two full days here, and another two full days at the MET. The content of both of these is so expansive that it really makes you consider your place in the universe. This time around, I specifically appreciated the exhibits devoted to the Pacific Northwest. I move around enough in this area that I have come to consider it home, and I have spent some time studying it's history back before European settlers came in. The native cultures are incongruent with how I grew up thinking about "Indians," and it was nice to see entire rooms depicting a people tied to the ocean and its environs. Rachel and I also appreciated the Futter Gallery or, as we called it, the Happy People room, as it was surrounded floor-to-ceiling with black-and-white images of laughing and smiling people. Kind of a nice place to hang out.

Museum of Broadway: Though it probably doesn't merit repeat visitations, this museum was a ton of fun for two people who kinda like to geek out over all things "theater." From original costumes, to rough drafts of scripts (I found that really cool), this place kept us smiling with each new revelation. I really liked a large three-dimensional diorama of a modern theater with all its inner workings. It is amazing to me how, as big as the auditorium may feel from within, it comprises only a smallish portion of the space it takes to put on a big show. Likewise, how the actual cast of a show represents a very small minority of the people who are involved in its production. This was one of the first museums we visited, and I'm glad for that as it helped me to appreciate the shows better as we were watching them. 

I'm trying, unsuccessfully, to be like the creepy-sad monkey music box from Phantom.

Food and Shopping and Stuff: I know that New York is a bucket-list destination for foodies. We are not foodies, and we did not go to any acclaimed restaurants. But we did have fun looking for the best Manhattan pizza (Lombardi's), cheesecake (Junior's) and bagel sandwich (random street vendor on the corner of 50th and 6th). Also, though the food was only average, Ellen's Stardust Diner has to stand out as one of the best dining experiences and is a must-stop for every New York trip involving a Broadway musical. Also, New York could be a shopper's paradise. I could easily spend over 100k in a single day on just clothing and accessories. We don't have that kind of money, but it was awfully fun to look in the windows on 5th Ave. or Hudson Yards and pretend. We did come away with a few things. North Idaho, for all I love about it, just doesn't do fashion the way you get in the city. That fact probably keeps our bank account happy.

*****

Okay- I think I am about out of things to say at this point. The week was wonderful. My parents were great to come and hang out with the kids so that we could have this little escape from real-life. We will for sure be back- hopefully sooner rather than later. Who knows- maybe one day we'll even make an extended stay just to see what it is like to really live there.

Farewell...for now. I think New York will always "stay gold" in my eyes.

Have a good week!

We are all breathing a sigh of relief after a VERY busy week. It was homecoming, with multiple sporting events that our band kids had to be at. There was a dance on Friday night that two of them went to. There are all the usual extracurriculars-band, dance, theater, voice, cross country, youth groups, etc. Rachel was on stage for the Broadway tour on Saturday. And I had one of the most productive weeks of my career. It was nuts. I think that multiple days went by before some of us saw one another, even though we all (eventually) went to bed in the same house.

Also, I am really happy that we live in a river town. I know this thought seems completely disconnected from the paragraph above, and maybe it is. But the river is really beautiful right now, and I have spent a fair amount of time running/biking/rollerblading/paddling along it's winding path. It's like, as soon as you get near the water, everything else just drops away and you feel like you could be a hundred feet or a hundred miles from civilization and it wouldn't really matter.

The fall weather is my favorite. Energy is high. Life is good.

Have a good week!

Earlier in the week, the two of us went to see the revival of Funny Girl. This has been Rachel's project for the past month or so, and on Saturday she did a great job for the interpreted performance. 

Addy and her best friends went to the homecoming dance together.

Jackson originally wasn't going to go to the dance because he had nobody to go with. The night before, however, he went to watch the football game and had such a good time seeing friends and classmates that he decided to just dress up and go by himself. Apparently, he spent the bulk of his night out on the dance floor and they both had a great time.

Addy and Evelyn in the homecoming parade

Enjoying the river. It is easy to get out for just an hour or two, but that small time makes all the difference and makes everything else seem small and calm. I love it.

Last weekend was my fourth foray into the Enchantments, and it was by far the most difficult day I have ever spent up there. Maybe one of the most difficult single days I have had in the mountains, like, ever. I did the 20 mile hike with Evelyn, Addy, and Jackson and was excited to show them one of my favorite places. We had waited until fall because I had never done it at this time of year and we'd heard that the autumn colors were a special highlight. On this count, we couldn't have asked for more. For some reason, colors are more vibrant in the high alpine- and with the cool weather the air seemed to positively dance with energy. 

What we were unprepared for was the cold. Like- really cold. Like, 9 degrees cold. We were wearing t-shirts or light flannels and all of us experienced signs of hypothermia at some point. The wind was brutal, and for about four hours it was all we could do to keep moving. We would stop briefly from time to time behind wind shelters to collect ourselves before setting out again into the open, but we weren't moving very fast. I don't think it was ever dire, but it got pretty wild at times.

And then it warmed up. Not like warm warm, but like, tolerable. Like, we could spend some time looking around at the beauty around us. Like, even though this was my fourth time up there, I was still absolutely dumbfounded at the brilliance of the area. It was magical, and though the day was rough on all of us, we all agreed that it was worth it. 

What a place!

I just read this to Evelyn at the kitchen table as she is eating a late dinner after drum lessons. She pointed out that this description seems very short for what was a very long hike, and for what felt like a very significant day. But that's how these things always are, right? Super wild and crazy, and then the next day you are sitting in math class or taking out the garbage and wondering if it was all just a dream. Well, in this case, our sore legs and still-swollen fingers tell us that it really happened, and that there are just no words. 

*****

Evelyn- This was by far the prettiest, and the hardest hike I have ever done. We started with lots of energy in the morning, despite waking up at 4:30 and sleeping in a cold car at the trailhead. We made it to Colchuck Lake in about two hours, just in time for the sun to rise. Everybody was feeling great, but we didn't know what was about to come.

Aasgard was the most difficult mile I have ever done in my life. The way up was so much steeper and longer than expected. I was already struggling, then the wind started. The wind was 9 degrees and knocked me over multiple times due to the state I was in. My body was shutting down and my vision was going in and out. By the last 40 feet I could not see where I was going or where I was. We made it to the top and I thought I was going to throw up or get hypothermia. We sat down and had some sugar, and I started regaining my vision and feeling a lot better. 

We started walking and after a while the wind died down. Soon I realized how pretty the area around me was. Every corner we turned was a picturesque view, and I was constantly in awe of how beautiful nature could be. We went through the Enchantments themselves very slowly so we could all take in the area. It was gorgeous, and I would go again 100 times just for those three miles. Eventually we started making our way down from the Enchantments. We were feeling good during the steep descent, and we saw three goats. The hike was amazing and what lay ahead seemed easy.

What we thought was 3 or 4 miles was actually around 8, and we trudged through the last couple of miles to get to the second parking lot. Despite the trudge, the second we got back to the car everyone regained their energy and there was an explosion of relief and stories. It was a memorable experience for me, from the second we left the house. I loved every bit of it and I would love to do it again. 

*****

Adalie- This hike was beyond what I thought my capabilities consisted of. Yes, I knew it would be difficult, but when we started out on the four hour drive to the trailhead, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. 

We started with a good pace and with excellent weather, making us all lament the time the sun would come up. Once we got to Colchuck lake, however, it was clear a chill had begun to seep in as the altitude rose. Oh yeah- and I didn't have a jacket.

Getting to the base of Aasgard, I was already starting to wish the sun could make its way over the mountains instead of taking the sweet time we had wished upon it earlier. Starting the steep wasn't terrible, and I figured from the base it would just get warmer. I was wrong.

Violent winds, ice threatening to push you down, goosebumps covering every part of the exposed body, hands are numb, and even some signs of hypothermia. Yeah. Aasgard Pass. It took roughly 2 hours to get up the mile-long section, the sun taunting us the whole time. When at last we stumbled through its welcoming rays at the top, discouragement swept through me as quickly as the wind. We did not find the warm relief we had expected, but instead the bitter 9 degree weather kept raging on. 

The cold extended far too long, and because of it I was focused on anything but the scenery. We encountered a group of about 10 people decked out in Antarctica Expedition clothing, and we didn't blame them. 

At long last, warmth surged through me as my fingers started tingling, telling me they would work again soon. In that moment, when the wind had taken a break and the sun had cut us some slack, I saw The Enchantments. I don't even know how to describe the next few hours. It felt like I was a kid exploring the wild, without a care in the world. It felt like we were all just friends out for an adventure, and that adventure just happened to be the most gorgeous place on Earth. It felt Enchanting.

*****

Jackson- Early in the morning, I woke up to the sound of five alarms from the inside of a tunnel that I had built in the back seat of the van. We crawled out of bed and ate a camp breakfast, then we grabbed our headlamps and started hiking. We chugged Monster energy drinks at 5 am. That was something!

We hiked six miles up to Colchuk lake without stopping once for any breaks. Once we got up there, we sat down, drank gatorade and had a break. We checked out Aasgard pass from across the lake. We packed up, and continued walking. We started to hike up the pass, and at first it was pretty steep and painful, then we got used to the steepness and we were cruising up it. Then. Came. The. Wind. It felt like we were in a hurricane or a tornado. It was insane! All of us began to struggle in the frigid wind. We kept pushing even though we all wanted to stop. Dad continued to encourage us. We tried to escape the wind by going up and over the pass, by huddling up in our jackets, and by searching for sunlight. Nothing worked, so we just powered through.

The Enchantments were beautiful. The wind died down slightly, so I wanted to stop and admire the sites, but everyone else wanted to keep going. The time in The Enchantments was a bit too short for me. Eventually, we got out of the wind, and guess what??? We had miles left to hike. 

Once we left, we found a ledge and we had to search as far as we could see for the next duckie with a stick pointed skyward. Everyone hiked around the cliff, but I took the direct route down it. We hiked from Duckie to duckie. It felt like a scavenger hunt without a real trail. I enjoyed myself. We got a decent amount of time before that game ended. We had fun doing the alphabet game with ski runs. We though of ski runs that began with every letter of the alphabet except for O and V. 

I was enjoying the hike, and I looked down and was surpirsed to see Mom! She had wanted to come, but stayed behind with the other kids. I still felt cheery on the hike, and it was nice to see her. I want to mention that earlier Ev and I made a deal. If I let her get to the top of Aasgard pass first, she would let me finish the hike first. I was excited to see Mom. She told us that we still had four miles left to go. The last four miles hurt a lot. That was the only part of the hike that felt like a trudge. Dad mentioned that when we hit a certain boulder that we would have about half an hour left. I set a timer at that time. A few miles before the end we could see the parking lot. That is when I started to hurt. Google maps said we were .5 miles away, but with switchbacks it was actually a lot more. I was ready to be done, and I could see the car! Eventually, we got to a gravel road and we saw Maren! We had a short reunion, and the we finally made it to the car. Now, it actually took about an hour from the rock. We waited for the others, then we went down and ate pizza!

The next day felt like I was recovering from an intense leg day! 

TLDR- It. Was. INSANE.

J- I love this jacket. It has a detachable hood, and I legit thought it would fly off in the wind during the hike up the pass. 

E: The top of Aasgard, elevation was high, and spirits were low,
but everyone got through it
A: I had ended up with Dad's flannel and beanie at some point through the pass.
Dad: You're welcome.

A: This was It. This was the spot where all became magical. 

E: The rugged peaks mixed with the fall colors
 are just as beautiful as people say they are

A: Pictures can't even begin to do this place justice.

J- I am looking forward to coming back for more time to explore this amazing place!

About to drop out of the Enchantments

Some of the slabs we walk on are a little bit steep

Goats

E: Ten and a half hours of hiking later, warm food tasted 5x better

On a different note, here's a picture of Rach and me at the last day of the Summer Concert Series at Arbor Crest. This is our third year as "members" up there. We love it and I'm sure there will be many years ahead of outdoor relaxation and dancing.

On a different different note, here is a poem that Lindsey wrote on the drive home, in her mind, about a dream she had. Later, she wrote it down with no hesitation.

I see a man with no coat
perhaps he's waiting for a train or boat
I take a look
Is he lost, or perhaps he's found
Then his feet slowly lift off the ground
Now he's in the sky
and then a plane happens to fly by
The man grabs the plane
Is he going insane?

This is all a dream in my head
Now I must wake up from my bed
I had some thoughts about the dream
But I can't tell you everything
Like, does the man ever get cold?
And is this man very old?

These are just thoughts in my head
I'll tell you another dream when I wake from bed