Sweet L turned 45 a few days ago! 45. He and I talked at length about 45 being a heavy age, an age of adulthood commitment, an age of strength, an age of respect. 45 carries some weight. We talked about what has filled his 45 years and ended our discussion with complete gratitude and amazement. For the past several years L has requested to climb a mountain for his birthday. Luckily for me he is always very specific as to which mountain he would like to climb. No gifts, no cake, just homemade cards and a mountain. Perfection. Gosh, we love him!!!
This year's chosen mountain was Brasstown Bald, Georgia's tallest peak. We camped the night before our hike at a wonderful family run campground where we fished and wandered and rode horses. It was fantastic! An early rise and shine to make it to the trailhead for our climb. We had a wonderful time! And also it was a REALLY hard hike. That's the beauty of hiking sometimes, it can be incredibly hard and also amazing at the same time. The trail was interesting and quiet - except for our bear encounter...yes!! The scenery was gorgeous and the conversations were lively and hilarious and so good for the soul. Having a teenager on a long hike is the best! We laughed a lot! It was the most challenging hike I have been on in years but we did it.
Happy Happy Birthday, L! We love you!
We all slept great until it unexpectedly POURED for 90 minutes straight while we were trying to pack up camp in the morning. Ugh!
Post horseback ride family selfie. Luke tolerates us.
He had it lit in no time!
My patented brisket cooking technique and stance.
How gorgeous is this background?! L on Scout (he was a super naughty horse, it was hilarious!), Luke on Chase, and me on Lucky
This guy. My forever partner in life and love! Happy Birthday!
Luke caught 7. L and I caught 0.
Luke pointed out my favorite color green...I love the lighting looking up into the leaves. Nature's artwork.
Climbing up and up and up! The views did not disappoint. Until we got above the clouds on a very windy day, then..a little disappointing.
Such a cool trail!
Hiking in the clouds!
Tullys in the wild! You can't take Luke and I anywhere! Ha!
The most hilarious trail companion! Love him!
At the tippy top ... in the wind and the fog.
We had a great time, our step counters reached over 39,000 steps. Insane! We worked hard to get to the top and dare I say we worked even harder to get back down. I swear it is harder to come down than go up. Anyway, it was a challenging day but we were successful and the birthday boy was oh so happy!
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