2-26-18

Near the summit of Peak 5057 the rock formations were spectacular.

Tall slabs of rock standing on end.

Our crew at the elevation of 5,057 feet.

Thus this mountain is named Peak 5057. How original....hahaha.

Nguvu Kama Simba

"Strong like lion" ;-)

We signed the summit book hidden on the peak. :-)

We also ate more snacks to fuel ourselves for the trek back to the car.

A couple more pics on the peak.

Trying to be artsy and get our reflection in Jay's sunglasses.

Hiking down the mountain.

We kept a good pace even with sore knees & achy feet setting in.

We all reached Aaron's SUV around 4pm. That was 10 hours in the Superstition Mountains for April, Bob & I and 8 hours for the other 7. A LONG but magnificent day! I've been wanting to hike the Ridgeline Trail for a a long time now. So glad we got it done. Bonus to have such perfect weather and an awesome group. Wahoo! 

PS: Thanks to Aaron & Jay for dropping the truck for our transportation back to our cars at the start (Siphon Draw Trailhead). And a big thank you for having cold drinks and yummy snacks waiting in your car at the end of our hike. THAT really hit the spot!

2-25-18

So off the 9 of us went...further into the Superstition Wilderness.

Hoodoos above us as we trekked towards the spine of the Ridgeline Trail.

Walking this long stretch of trail on the ridge was awesome.

So much opportunity for that perfect selfie... 

Single Selfie.

:-)

Double Selfie.

:-) :-)

Triple Selfie

:-) :-) :-)

It's always fun having April along on these adventures.

And we always look forward to hanging out with friends.

Especially on a hike with these views!

Finding our route with cairns. Bob's GPS tracker was super helpful too. #technology 

Notice Bob's perfect heart rock he found for me. :-)

I found a heart rock along the trail for Bob too. :-)

Weavers Needle in the middle of the photo.

Taking a break.

Just hang'n out.

Sunny but we still kept on long sleeves & hats most of the day.

Nearing the top of Peak 5057.

to be continued...

2-24-18

An early & cold start to a BIG hiking day.

At 6:15am & 38 degrees Bob, Carol, April & I hiked to the top of Flat Iron in the Superstition Mountains. It dropped to 28 degrees on the top! Yay for sunshine that helped warm us up. 

As cold as it was...it made for good hiking temps when you're working hard.

This is on our way up the Siphon Draw Trail. You can see Flat Iron in the middle (far distance).

This is one of my favorite sections of the trail.

It's a very steep walk up this smooth rock.

So steep that Bob slipped! Luckily he grabbed a small ledge just in time. Kidding! I tried to make these photos look scary. #fail. LOL.

Proud of Carol for tackling this challenging hike.

Sisters at the saddle!

Mother & daughter on the top of Flat Iron! Sweet view of the valley to the west.

And a sweet view of the Superstition Mountains to the north.

We took our usual 50 photos. :-)

April Jane, Jane, & Carol

Say cheese then eat cheese.

Enjoyed our cheese & snacks with this pretty view to the southeast.

Such interesting hoodoos (rock spires) in the Superstition Mountains.

Great yoga pose April! That is Flat Iron she is pointing towards (looks like the bow of a ship).

After our time on Flat Iron the 4 of us walked back to the saddle to meet up with 7 friends (they started the same hike 2 hours after us). From this point on April, Bob & I would continue hiking with them on the Ridgeline Trail. It will be 6 more hours of hiking with this crew to reach Peak 5057 and get down the east side of that mountain to Aaron's car. Aaron & Jay had dropped it there early morning for transportation back because Ridgeline Trail is a point to point hike.

So we said good-bye to Carol as she returned back down on the Siphon Draw trail to her car. She made it safely down & had a fun day. Yay! Congratulations, Carol... you did awesome!

The rest of us marched on. Such a beautiful and cool day for this epic hike. Ridgeline Trail photos in my post tomorrow.

2-23-18

Projects in progress...

Our Gazebo has 2 posts up... exciting!

Help... someone please untangle my jewelry. WOW... how did this happen?! I blame traveling & not knowing how to pack necklaces. Advice welcome. I think this project will take longer than building our gazebo.

2-22-18

Signed. Sealed. Delivered. :-)

Better late than never! Our 2017 Christmas card. Check.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from us.

Our year was beautiful & full of many adventures, family, friends & good health. We are very appreciative for all we were able to experience & count our blessings daily. Not all days or years are great... but I hope we always try to be positive in the low times & thankful in the high times.

2-21-18

Meet Mary & Godrey. They are 2 children from Uganda that Bob & I are sponsoring through Hope4Kids International. Our friend, Tom Eggum is the founder of Hope4Kids (a faith-based non profit organization). Tom has led numerous mission trips to Uganda to build water wells for clean water in addition to many other projects there. Hope 4 Kids helps children in extreme poverty all around the world. They also have an impact in Cuba, The Philippines, Mexico & more. Tom spoke at HOPE church a few weeks ago and it was very inspiring! My niece, April and I may join Tom on his July trip to Uganda...fingers crossed. If we do we'll be able to meet Mary (6 yrs old) and Godfrey (10 years old) on sponsor day. :-) April would get to see her sponsor child too (who she met 3 years ago when she went to Uganda with her mom, Carol - my sister). PS: Child sponsorship is a small monthly fee that helps provide education & basic daily needs. What an amazing organization, Tom! You have brought incredible change, hope, & better health to where it is truly needed. Thank you!

2-20-18

Deep thoughts. ;-)

Getting outside for some fresh air. "Smells good" says Harley. Me too.

I'm not sick but I'm not well. Unproductive day...except for a Harley walk.

2-19-18

Harley & Bob are wiped out today! :-)

Bob is feeling better. Yay! I'm feeling under the weather. Boo. Harley is feeling great! Phew.

President's Day was pretty low key for all of us.