A month or so ago: hiking Silver Falls

 First order of business:  lunch.

This was a lot of fun.  Looking forward to exploring more trails this summer.

Salmon River Trail, Memorial Day weekend

An old-growth forest trail near Mt. Hood.  Everything was engorged with life.   It had the bushiest moss, pillowing around tree limbs that we have ever seen.  Besides the decent mushroom specimen, the boys found a very large salamander.  I encouraged the kids to drink from the springs ("Sure! Go ahead.  Cleanest water on earth!") and throw rocks in the freezing cold river.   They spent some time trying to catch fish with a Nalgene bottle.  I loved watching Talmage and his friend tramping through the water, getting their feet freezing wet.

What, pray tell, holdeth their devoted attention?

Sydney and Clara spent three days on the counter, watching a box of My Little Ponies up on top of the fridge.

Ding Dong, I've got the rhythm...

A photo finish.

You'd think it was choreographed.

Saddle Up!

It has been my heart's desire to take the YW on an extended backpacking trip -- on the Olympic Peninsula, to be precise.  But pregnancies/nursing (read: as YW leaders, we tag-team the Pregnancy Baton) and calendaring have conspired against this end.  Desperate for SOME sort of hiking adventure before graduation, we ended up, through twists and turns ... with Saddle Mountain.  Car camping (Miles came).  But it was a great hike -- even (or possibly because) we weren't carrying tents.


 

Peer Pressure:  I made it through my teenage years without ever smoking, drinking, and all that ... but when those Laurels suggested I lick the banana slug, how could I resist?  For the memories!  My only regret is that I couldn't fake a look of sheer enjoyment.  Now, come on ... give me a kiss, baby.

Two Cool YW -- about to be blown off a precipice.

A very cool Miles.  But not as cool as he would have been without Cole's human sleeping bag outfit. Which we still haven't laundered yet, because doing so requires two new tennis balls and special down detergent ... which I'm fresh out of at the moment.

What Miles sees.

How sharper than a serpent's tooth ...

Briton got up early and made Talmage's school lunch, not knowing Talmage was planning on making his own.

Disappointed to find his lunch already packed, he opened it up to examine the contents.  Enter complaining/whining voice: "Awww. Dad always gives me chips."

Rough life.