Sometimes You Have to Go Big

Recently, Lil O, Mr. UpCyclist, and Jedi hiked a 13er - a mountain over 13,000 feet.  The mountain they hiked, called Bald Mountain, is one our family is very familiar with as we stare at it daily from our balcony in Breckenridge, Colorado.  See?  I think it is so pretty and grand.

I'm guessing the summit is obvious to you, but in case you think the ridge line is an optical illusion, here is the highest peak (the summit) circled.  Actually, I just wanted another reason to get fancy with my Studio app on my iPhone.  Do you love that app like I do?

Lil O, Mr. UpCyclist and Jedi hiked all the way to the summit.  To date, this is the highest mountain Lil O has summited.

Jedi, a pretty seasoned hiker himself, apparently loved all the rocks and chipmunk chasing opportunities.  I love how his coat blends into the environment.  That Mother Nature sure is sophisticated, isn't she?

Our family loves cairns - they are those piles of rock that mark trails and summits.  It feels like you are part of this universal communication system when you spot cairns or build them.  I think there is a lot to learn from cairns (I'm feeling another blog post coming on....).

This photo of Lil O is one of my favorites.  I love the view and vantage point, but mostly how gingerly her body placement looks while hiking.   Just an aside:  Can you see the Breckenridge Ski Resort in the background?

This summer is (or should I say "was" since the summer is ending) the summer of new hikes.  I am way proud of Lil O, Mr. UpCyclist and Jedi's trek up Bald Mountain.

After all, sometimes you have to go big....

Jen

PS - My sabbatical is off to a great start.   I will be laptop-free for a bit because of our upcoming road travel, but thankfully, I still like to use paper and pen for writing projects.  It is the happy, old-school in me :)

Still Here

Is it just me or are those clouds above totally fake looking?  They aren't.  But, really, Mother Nature. You are such a lovely show-off.

I'm actually blogging in real-time right now.  Jedi is passed out on the couch after our two-hour hike this morning under the fake clouds above.  I love this hiking area so much I want to go back tomorrow.  Lil O is watching the Disney Channel - Austin and Ally to be exact.  Just keeping it real.

In my effort to just be, blogging has taken a backseat.  It's hard to just be when I am writing a blog post for the future, which is why I am typing this and will hit "publish" immediately.   Past that, I have life things to do - food shop, laundry and visit the tiny library here.  I am hooked on libraries.  I believe they are one of the greatest inventions of humankind.

Dr. Irwin - a contributor to Upcycled Education and a dear, dear friend - is coming to our place in Colorado for the weekend to visit.  I have so much I want to talk about with her I am considering drafting an agenda.  Can you believe that?  I want to draft a weekend agenda.  Luckily, she's the one friend who would totally dig that - all my talking points outlined.

Jedi is now making his way to his new favorite spot, the bathroom.  I think he likes small, dark spaces to rest. Lil O is rifling through the fridge looking for lunch.

Cue motherhood.

xo,

Jen

Hiking the Rim to Rim Trail

A great friend of Upcycled Education, Dr. Irwin, is soon-to-be hiking the Rim to Rim Trail of the Grand Canyon.  Have you ever hiked that trail?  You basically start on one rim of the Grand Canyon and hike to the other rim.  Cool, isn't it?

Over a decade ago, when teaching on the Navajo Nation at the coolest high school ever, a group of friends and I hiked the Rim to Rim Trail.  It took us 13 hours to complete.  We hiked from 6pm to 7am.  My group started on the South Rim.  The other group started on the North Rim.  And when we crossed paths, we traded car keys (that way we all had a ride home and didn't have to shuttle cars or pay for a shuttle).

Since we hiked all through the night in October during a full moon, we didn't need to bring anything else with us except for snacks, water, a first aid kit and some light clothing (although we watched the weather report and there wasn't a chance of rain or snow; it is high elevation, you know).

I've done a ton of hiking, in my time, all over the world.  The Rim to Rim Trail is probably one of my favorites.  Plus, how often do you get to say, yes, I hiked the entire Grand Canyon from rim to rim in one night?

Enjoy the hike, Dr. I.  I know you are going to love the solitude and experience.

xo,

Jen

PS - As I was researching this topic, I came across the photo above from Backpacker Magazine and this video of their Rim to Rim to Rim hike.  Wild!