Why is it among the most glacial mountain peaks I find the greatest warmth?

Another beautiful weekend spent in Glacier Park. Moose and I drove up to stay at the cabin we rented at Stanton Creek Lodge. After a long drive we were both eager to stay in a cabin surrounded by snow and wilderness and just have some time to relax. Imagine our surprise when we arrived to see this...


The lodge was completed snowed in. Nothing had been plowed, there was no way in and over 2 feet of undisturbed snow rested on the roof of each cabin. There wasn't even a place to park the car other than the side of the road. We decided to drive back to West Glacier where we had cell service and call the National Park Service reservation desk. The kind ladies informed us that the owners of the lodge were in Florida. It was so considerate of someone to inform us that we wouldn't be able to stay at the place where we had confirmed reservations.

Undaunted by this predicament we pressed on and the park service managed to reserve us other accommodations - at the Super 8 in Columbia Falls. Not exactly the cabin we'd had in mind with access to snowshoeing right outside the door but oh well, it was warm and dry.

The next day was spent snowshoeing in Glacier Park. The snow was clean and white, the sun was bright and it turned out to be a beautiful day.


Before we left Glacier we walked down to Lake McDonald for some photo ops and trail lunch.


Our last day began early with a drive to Missoula so Moose could get inked.


There were a few minor set backs and a few disappointments but the good definitely out weighed the bad and overall we had a great time.

Let's go!

Uuuggghhh....

fever, chills, sore throat, cough. Nooooooo!

This is not the week to be sick. Wednesday Moose will be here and Thursday starts the snowshoeing trip to Glacier. I can't be sick this week.

Airborne, Tylenol, Chloraseptic. Yaaaaaaaay!

I think I'm a good person. Sure I have my moments but overall I think I'm an all right girl. I try to be kind and honest to everyone. I try to be generous, especially to those I love. I volunteer in my community and shovel the sidewalk for my neighbors.

Despite being a good person it always surprises me that there are some people you just can't warm up.

Come on people, smile. Exchange hello's and thank you's with the guy who holds the door open for you. Greet your neighbors and be kind to puppies and other small things. Stop by and say hi to people who leave comments on your blog. Shovel snow for the elderly woman across your street. Do good works and remember that eternal, universal karma that we must all respect.

;) Have good days kids!

Uuuggghhh....

Is it time to go home yet?

"I'm asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington...I'm asking you to believe in yours."

Project Vote Smart

Die you nazi spin bitch!

I taught my first spin class this morning. The regular instructor was late and as the only other staff member at the gym I ended up teaching.

I kind of faked it since I've never had to teach anything there before but I've been to spin class a couple dozen times so we made it through. We did a lot of a hill climbs and seated arrows to work the glutes. Everyone ended up sweaty and gross and disgusting and laughing and still able to walk so I would call it a success.

Yay me!! ;)

Note to self

..."what is up with this underwear today?"



I guess it helps if you have it on the right way. ;)

We are getting hit with a big snow storm today. Our high temp. is only supposed to be -12. What fun! It is going to drop a ton of good snowshoeing snow and the temps should be back up to normal by Friday.

I can hardly wait for the weekend! Want to come snowshoeing?

Interesting day so far...

I couldn't sleep last night so I took a sleeping pill. Then slept through my alarm this morning.

I knew I was going to be a couple minutes late to work.

Ran around the house looking for clothes to wear (shut up for those of you who've seen my closet). Decided to hell with it and threw on sweats and a long-sleeved t-shirt - good enough!

Thought I had better stop at the store on my way and grab some breakfast stuffs, bananas, yogurt etc. Easy, peasey, lemon squeezy.

My car absolutely refused to start upon leaving the store. It started just fine this morning when I left the house but suddenly refused to fire up. I ended up sitting in Van's parking lot for 15 minutes. Now I really was late for work.

Finally get to the office and get a little grief from the boss man ("suuuuuuure the car wouldn't start, uh huh") with a wink, wink.

The phone in my office rings. "Is this Rachel Z__?" (uh oh). "Yes it is." "Did your last name used to be I__?" (uh oh.) "Yes it did." "Oh good, this is so and so with the class reunion committee (shit!!) and we need to get some information from you...."

Oh goodie!

On the really good side I found an article in Women In The Outdoors magazine that says snowshoeing is better for you than running - sweet! I'm going snowshoeing again this Saturday so that is awesome news.

Have good days kiddies! ;)

What a great weekend! The snow was fabulous. That white, soft, fluffy stuff that drifts down as you hike and blankets everything in silence. I don't know how many times I just stood still and listened to - nothing.


I want to bottle the feeling and take it with me.

(Thanks for the photos!)

Snowed In

But wow! It is beautiful.

It has been snowing since yesterday and the forecast for the week is more of the same.

I'm kind of enjoying it although I was planning a trip to Glacier this weekend for some snowshoeing. Its possible that I won't be wanting to make that trip come Friday and that's disappointing.

I'm keeping an eye on the sky and the weather channel.

If this keeps up I might not have to go to Glacier to get some snowshoeing. Although, if this keeps up it might be a good weekend to spend with some hot chocolate and Baileys and The Shining.

Sneaky sneaky, hide and seeky

So I've got this Yahoo Messenger on my lap top. I hardly ever use it and don't bother to check it that much.

Occasionally I will sign on but am almost always invisible. Once in a while I will log on as visible to some people on my messenger list. You know the feature where you can show yourself to one or two people and keep yourself invisible to others? It can be a nice feature once in a while.

It turns out that one of the people on my messenger list has discovered a way to tell if I'm logged in or not regardless of my visibility status. Regardless of what I'm doing he can always tell if I'm signed in to messenger or not.

He's being all sneaky when I'm trying to be sneaky.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!

Ooooooh, I feel a sin coming on

To A___, Happy Birthday Darlin'

This song always reminds me of you and this is so us
(without the whole you being gay thing).






Don't work all day, get outside - you live in the tropics for heavens sake. And if you can be happy at the other place I say take the job (plus you'll be closer and it gives me someplace warm to go for Christmas) ;)

Love you!! (your birthday present is in the mail) :)

Inbox

"By the way, I want to THROTTLE my husband right now - he is being a big giant waaah waaaah tantrum baby and it ain't helping nobody over here. If I acted that way.......he would be screamin' at me to grow up.

If I were you, I would take a blood oath to never marry again upon pain of death."





LMAO!!

The service was so so

The food was not good

The music was a lounge singer...

with a mullet

But it was still a really great weekend!

Jobs

Me: I know you made ice cream for a while

He: Yep, I was a creamiar. I was a derriere

Me: LOL, you were a derriere huh?

He: Uh...

Be careful what you wish for, you will surely get it

2008

I'm registering for class in two weeks

I'm learning Japanese

I bought myself a Christmas present of
new water color painting equipment

I am really looking forward to 2008!

Well it only took an hour for that to officially become the worst Christmas I can remember in like....forever.

It just isn't a holiday until the fists start flying and the police are called. Combine that with some other stuff and the holiday was a disaster.

Yeeeeep, that was fun!

~sigh~

If you like what you do there are few things more rewarding than having clients and the people you work for acknowledge and appreciate the job you do. Clients of mine sent me a special Christmas gift today to thank me for all of my hard work. The whole thing just has a warm, satisfying feeling to it - knowing the people I work with and for appreciate the work I do.

As nice as it is to receive, I get more pleasure from giving. I managed to find some really great gifts for family and friends this year and it has been such a true pleasure in giving them. I've had the opportunity to see the expression on some of their faces or to hear them on the phone as they opened presents and it has been so much fun for me. To all those who shared that experience with me, thank you! The gifts were given with love and friendship and it was as much a pleasure for me to give them as it was for you to receive.

A wonderful and happy holiday to all of you. May you be blessed with love, happiness and good fortune in the coming new year!! To all of my friends near and far, you are a blessing in my life and I am grateful for each and every one of you. I hope that I am the kind of friend to you that truly enriches your lives.

Akkk...get that thing away from me!

I have some great friends. Friends who are kind and generous and have my best interest at heart.

Because of such great friends I've had to up my gym time considerably this time of year. When I got home yesterday my dear friend Kimme had left me a plate of peanut butter cookies dipped in chocolate sitting on the kitchen table.

When I got to work this morning Matt stopped by my office waving a plate of peanut butter and chocolate drop cookies.

My friends know that I LOVE peanut butter and chocolate. They know that when it comes to peanut butter and chocolate I have no will power.

So I started this morning with a 5:30 spin class at the gym. Boot camp will be tomorrow followed by Buttz and Gutz on Wednesday and more boot camp on Thursday.

Fortunately I also have friends who will get outside with me in all kinds of weather to go snowshoeing or hiking or running or stair laps or circuit. I also have friends who will call me at 5:30 in the morning and tell me to get my butt out of bed and to the gym.

I LOVE my friends...

almost as much as peanut butter and chocolate!

I was outside at 4:30 this morning and saw four shooting stars!!

That has to be good luck or something, right?

I'm dreaming...

~sigh~

you can't go to school, the mall or church anymore.

what are we doing to each other?

Where the Wild Things Are

He said, she said

Him: If there was one thing you could change about your life what would it be?

Me: I'd win the lottery and be able to live and travel where ever I wanted.

Him: Ok, realistically what would it be?

Me: I don't know, I can't really think of anything. I've got a pretty good life.

Him: Would you want to live with someone again?

Me: Not so much. I mean I won't rule it out completely but it's not something I'm looking for.

Him: Hmmm....

Me: Same question.

Him: Oh, I'd definitely be living with someone again. This is the first time I've lived alone and I don't like it.

Me: Hmmm....

Oh yay!!

Color me red, black and happy.

;)

What fun Christmas was as a kid...

*cough*

*sniffle*

*cough, cough*

"brrrrrrrr"

This and that...

Hehe, God sure has a sense of humor and life can be funny sometimes

I think my boot camp instructor is trying to kill us

I just ordered the cutest red and black outfit ;)

It's official, I'm going back to school in the spring - yay me!

Pity party

Me: So how is S___ doing?

Her: Well, he's remarried, living in Billings and they are expecting a baby

Me: Wow! Well....

that's great.

My ex is remarried and they are about to have a baby. Yeah, I'm feeling kind of sad. Normally I would talk to Kim about this kind of thing but she hates my ex (for good reason) and would tell me to "get over it" or how lucky I am to be single (and I am in a lot of ways, I know this and appreciate my independence - most of the time).

It still pisses me off that he got everything he wanted and I got to pay for it.

I don't really want to get married again. Hell, I don't even necessarily want to live with someone again but it would be nice to have someone that cared about me.

I'm afraid I'm going to die alone and the only way anyone will know is because I won't have answered Kim's emails for 3 days.

~sigh~

Ownership

"Things got a lot less complicated when I stopped complicating them."

It snowed, it snowed, it snowed! Weeeee!

The houses and trees in my neighborhood look like they've been dusted with powdered sugar.

There is just something exciting about the first snow fall and I admit that I don't normally get excited about snow, being a warm weather girl and all. But everything looks so clean and beautiful and snow means snowshoeing.

Of course, we didn't get very much snow and it will all be melted by tonight but it was fun to wake up early this morning to a frosted world outside.

Ha ha!!

A chicken and an egg are lying in bed.

The chicken is smoking a cigarette with a satisfied smile on it's face and the egg is frowning and looking a bit angry.

The egg mutters, to no one in particular, "Well, I guess we answered THAT question..."

Working out

Damn it's cold at 5:30 in the morning!

Fortunately the instructors have us running our asses off in boot camp so we can warm up. Can't wait till there is snow on the ground as well. I've got the yaktrax ready to go.

The new class at the gym is so much harder than boot camp. It's an "I've ran and squatted and lunged and lifted so much I have to puke" kind of a class. Somehow I manage to make it through without actually hurling. It's a miracle I'm tellin' ya. Moose you should come with me while you're here.

Thank you!

For all you do and all that you leave behind

Thanksgiving

I know exactly how it's going to go down.

My niece is wanting to have Thanksgiving dinner at her house in Butte. ~sigh~

My dad will insist that I ride with him and mom since "...we live in the same town and going to the same destination. What, ya don't like us?"
~don't do it Rachel, don't do it~

There is absolutely nothing for the kids to do outside at my niece's house so they'll be inside running up and down the stairs playing

fighting

making noise

getting into trouble ~sigh~

Since it isn't his house there will be no where for my dad to escape to watch football.

He'll get antsy from the noise and the kids and the fighting and the no football and start to get tense. Then he'll start making snide little comments that he wants everyone to think he means in jest when he really is serious.

This will eventually piss my sister off. ~sigh~

We'll have dinner. But we won't all sit together because there isn't any place for a table big enough for the whole clan. At my niece's house.

We'll clean up. What seems like endless plates and forks and knives and pots and pans.

By this time my dad will be tired and grouchy(ier) and we'll make the nice, quiet hour long ride home. Right!

He'll bitch about the whole thing and how noisy the kids were with the noise and the kids and the fighting. ~sigh~

But not this year!

Ahhhh....~sigh~

;)

Those of you who know me know that I love my dog. Moose can testify to that. Although I do think she was a little more worried than I was.

I also know that my dog loves me. How can I tell? I just can.

It's that pure, unashamed, unconditional kind of love.

I'm thinking it is about the closest thing to God we have here.

That's just cool!

God, Dog, Dog, God. Coincidence? I don't think so!

;)

I watch this video over and over again...

I will be doing my day to day thing and all of a sudden get a flashback of the skydive or get that jump in my heart from the rush. I find myself daydreaming about skydiving and wanting to know how they do all the flips and spins and acrobatics. This is so going to break my savings. I absolutely can't wait to go again!

I hate blind dates!


I know the guy, or know who he is so maybe its not really a blind date but a fix up?

We've spoken a couple of times at the gym.

I'm putting off calling him back.


I hate blind dates and fix ups!

Okay, that was weird....

I use my phone as my alarm clock when I have to get up. It's usually set for 5:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays for boot camp and 3:45 on Fridays for work.

This morning I woke up around 2:30 to what sounded like someone calling my name. I actually got up to look out the window (yes, I have some friends who will stand outside and shout, don't ask me why, I don't get it).

Not seeing anyone I climbed back into bed and thought to check the time.

My phone had turned off during the night. If I hadn't been awakened at 2:30 by the sound of someone calling me I never would have gotten up on time this morning.

It had to have been a dream....

Happy Halloween

I am so excited for tonight. No big plans but I'm looking forward to having trick or treaters for the first time in a really long time. I've decorated with pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns and spider webs and I have candy galore...


Let's hope the little goblins show up or I'm going to be stuck with a LOT of sugary goodness.

Have good days kids, play hard!

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

That was me, squealing like a school girl (with pig tails and knee socks and that short little plaid skirt...hehe, anyway).

I've got a new toy!!


No, not that kind of toy, this kind of toy!


Canon PowerShot Pro Series S5 IS 8.0MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom:
8.0-megapixel CCD
Ultra-powerful 12x optical zoom
High-resolution 2.5-inch vari-angle LCD
DIGIC III Image Processor with improved Face Detection Technology and red-eye correction

I am absolutely loving it but there is so much to learn about this camera. I'm still reading the manual but Os stopped by last night and gave it his official seal of approval. Plan on seeing a lot more photos for a while kids.

YES!

I have to admit that I feel bad for the Rockies. They had a good season and not only did they get swept but they felt the double sting of having it happen at home. You have to feel a little sad for them about that. Just making it to the Series is an accomplishment in and of itself! Well done guys!

It's just a little bit sweeter because they did it at Coors Field.


Uh oh, did I just screw up my Karma?

"A good friend of mine used to say, 'This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains.' Think about that for a while."

Isn't life grand?

Dancin' with myself

Did you see that game?

Ok, who forgot to tell Cleveland they had a game last night?

"...And once you have tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been, and there you long to return..."

What a RUSH!

The day was absolutely perfect, blue skies, warm sunshine, incredible scenery and some of the greatest people I've had the chance to meet. Everyone immediately made me feel welcome and were so encouraging. We had to wait a bit for other jumpers but then it was time to go through the jump and then board the plane. My tandem master gave me instructions; scoot to the door, hang feet out, ready, set, go and then arch, arms out, eyes open etc. He taught me how to fly the canopy and then we were loaded into the plane. When the plane started to taxi down the run way I remember thinking "no turning back now."

Then we were in the air, climbing to 9000 feet. It was a calm ride and I wasn't nervous at all. Then my tandem master said it was time to move to the door. That's when the nerves kicked in. We moved to the door and he told me to swing my feet out. It was at this point that I realized I was no longer sitting on the edge of the plane but actually hanging out of it. That was a little unnerving. Then it was "ready, set, go!" and we were out.

The initial fall was a little scary but the feeling didn't last long. Soon we were free falling and the view was incredible (I managed to open my eyes). The free fall lasted for 30 seconds and then I felt the tug from the canopy opening and suddenly we were just floating 5000 feet above the ground. I got to steer the canopy and fly around for about 5 minutes.
The view was incredible and it was such a blast being up there. The landing was a little rough with a slight injury and a huge cloud of dust but I made it through. Everyone told me that I would never look at the sky the same way again and they were right. I now find myself checking the clouds and the clear sky thinking about jumping days. I think I'm hooked!

My first jump! I can't wait to do it again!

I watched him strap on his harness and helmet, climb into the cockpit and, minutes later, a black dot falls off the wing two thousand feet above our field. At almost the same instant, a while streak behind him flowered out into the delicate wavering muslin of a parachute — a few gossamer yards grasping onto air and suspending below them, with invisible threads, a human life, and man who by stitches, cloth, and cord, had made himself a god of the sky for those immortal moments.

A day or two later, when I decided that I too must pass through the experience of a parachute jump, life rose to a higher level, to a sort of exhilarated calmness. The thought of crawling out onto the struts and wires hundreds of feet above the earth, and then giving up even that tenuous hold of safety and of substance, left me a feeling of anticipation mixed with dread, of confidence restrained by caution, of courage salted through with fear. How tightly should one hold onto life? How loosely give it rein? What gain was there for such a risk? I would have to pay in money for hurling my body into space. There would be no crowd to watch and applaud my landing. Nor was there any scientific objective to be gained. No, there was deeper reason for wanting to jump, a desire I could not explain.

It was that quality that led me into aviation in the first place — it was a love of the air and sky and flying, the lure of adventure, the appreciation of beauty. It lay beyond the descriptive words of man — where immortality is touched through danger, where life meets death on equal plane; where man is more than man, and existence both supreme and valueless at the same instant.

— Charles A. Lindbergh, contemplating his first parachute jump, 'The Spirit of St Louis,' 1953

Ever get one of those comments that makes your skin crawl?


~shudder~

Waiting...

I've been waiting. Along with other friends near and far. Waiting for what we all prepared for. Waiting for what she prepared for. Can you ever really prepare? I've never been in the situation of waiting for a loved one to pass away. I know we've all been trying to be supportive and helpful but there is only so much we can do. She knows we love her, she knows we care.

I found myself praying that it doesn't happen today. If it couldn't have been yesterday at least make it tomorrow or Tuesday, not today, not on her birthday. I know what that feels like. I know it hasn't been the birthday celebration she was looking forward to and that makes me sad as well.

We'll continue to wait, friends from afar. Waiting and praying and hoping to provide some comfort when we can. Waiting for news that we know is coming. We just don't know when.

Oh my God that was an amazing walk off homer!!!


2 down!

Traveling for work

"So Rachie, where are you today?"

"Well let's see, flat, no mountains. LOL, I'd say I'm about ten minutes from if I lived here I'd blow my brains out."

;)

A gloomy day

When I woke up this morning there was snow on Mt. Helena. It has been raining at the house all morning and the sky is gray as far as the eye can see.

I've got my errands done and now I'm going to stay in, bundle up, make brownies, clean a little house and watch Knocked Up. I'm thinking it's not a bad way to spend a Saturday. Wanna join me?

RUNNING HILLS SUCKS!





I'm just sayin'...

The Hunt for Red October

Ever have one of those thoughts that makes you laugh your ass off but instantly you also know that you just screwed up your karma?



LOL, but hell that was funny!

New Boot Campers Part Deux

Newbie 1:
Oh gawd this cold morning shit sucks!

Me:
Amen

Newbie 2:
I'm getting my ass out of bed on a cold morning to do what? to run?

Newbie 1:
Yeah if I'm getting my butt out of bed at 5:30 on a cold morning there had better be pancakes involved.

Me:
LMAO!

"Cheeseburger..."

The Cheeseburger bird is back and I found out that his "official" name is a Black-Capped Chickadee. Apparently he's a smart bird too:

The Black-Capped Chickadee hides seeds and other food items for later recovery. Each item is placed in a different spot and a bird can remember thousands of hiding places.

He's been hanging around my house so of course he's a smart bird. Hmm, I may have to get a bird feeder for this little guy.

It turns out that he's cute too so I don't mind him stalking me too much. As long as he doesn't start too early in the morning with his song we'll be on good terms.

New boot campers...

Instructor:
"Come on, let's go, up the hill, lift those legs higher"

Newbie 1:
"She's kidding, right?"

Me:
"Afraid not"

Newbie 2:
"Is she trying to kill us?"

Me:
"Naw, it just feels that way at first, you'll get used to that dying feeling"

Newbie 1:
"oh goody"


Hehe, rookies!

"My Boys" will be boys

The guys are all sitting around watching the game when the batter gets hit in the head with a 90 mph fast ball. They immediately start talking about who could take it and how he was a "pussy", after all "he had a helmet on!"

This, of course, leads to the batting cages. LMAO!

The guys decided to see who could actually "take it." It started out at 45 mph, each guy taking a turn and upping the ante with each round. LOL! By the time D__ took an "85er" to the head and was knocked out cold I was practically rolling on the floor....

York Fest

A beautiful Saturday spent out at York Fest, a benefit for local fire fighters. The weather couldn't have been more cooperative and a fun time was had by all between the Best Bike contest, the games, vendors, live music and auctions - it was a lot of fun with a diverse group of people (young, old, bikers, cowboys, fire fighters, etc. it was testosterone city!).

D__'s bike - so much fun to ride!!

All of the fun followed by Bloody Mary's and burgers at York Bar (remind me to take you there). If you know anything about the area then you know that York Bar burgers are the best in southwest Montana. A great way to spend a Saturday!

Conversations with the cat....

"Ouch CT, that's my leg"

"Meow"

"Damn! Stop digging your claws into my ass"

"Meeeeeeeeeeeowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww"

Hi honey, I'm "home"!

Home is a relative term I guess since every time I'm in Glacier I feel at home but - I'm home.

It was a long, tiring, amazing, wonderful, fabulous trip. On Saturday morning I got a late start on the trail because of the shuttle schedule so I didn't start hiking until 11:00 but the trail to Gunsight Campground was an easy one and since I didn't have a schedule I took my time.

When I got to the first suspension bridge I felt like a kid again. I ran to it and immediately started bouncing up and down. Hehe, that was fun!

With views like this why would you hurry?

My first side trip was to Florence Falls. Unfortunately the photos I took just don't do it justice. It's taller and more beautiful than I was able to capture but it was sure fun playing in the water. It was somewhere around here that I lost my iPod - oh well, I wasn't going back for it. A couple of hours later I arrived at Gunsight Lake where I camped for the first night. Like all of Glacier that I've seen it is beautiful. Oh, and see that saddle in the middle of the mountains (the gunsight)? See that peak to the left? That's my first stop the next day.


I managed to get an early start the next morning (the potential bear patrolling the campground going "whuw, whuw, whuw" may have helped prompt my early start) and I made it over Gunsight Pass.

As I was coming down the pass to Lake Ellen Wilson me and Mr. Bear met up for a brief chat.


I said "hey bear" over and over again and he looked up as if to say "yeah, what do you want?" (if you click it you can see him looking at me and yeah the photo is slightly out of focus - my hand was shaking).

So I backed up and gave him some space (it's rude to crowd the bears in Glacier Park - and dangerous). I watched him for about 10 minutes, all the time just letting him know that I was there but that I wasn't a threat and wasn't going to push (it feels weird to be lower on the food chain than something else) but eventually managed to get a few feet closer for another photo as he went back to digging roots.
Believe me, this was as close as I was going to get. And when I say a few feet closer I literally mean a few feet. There is no way I was taking the chance of crowding a grizzly bear. That is foolish and stupid hiking. It would have taken him all of about five seconds to cover the distance between us if he wanted to.

It was such a privilege to see this guy and I enjoyed just standing there watching him. He eventually wandered down the hill and as I came down Gunsight Pass I was able to watch him swim across Lake Ellen Wilson and climb out on the shore below. That was sooooo cool!

I finished that day by crossing Lincoln Pass. Boy, the Sperry Chalet roof was a beautiful and welcome sight.
I have a lot of great photos of Sperry Chalet but am including just the one. If you want to see more then you have to make the hike ;) It is so worth it. The people who operate, manage and work at Sperry Chalet do an incredible job of making everyone feel welcome and comfortable and I dare you to stay there and not have it become a part of you. I am already planning my trip for next year.

When I took this photo I was missing it already. My last night was spent lounging and remembering all the great things about this trip. A few bug bites, a few blisters, some sore shoulders and knees but I can't wait to go back.