Days gone by

My labor day post of our Breaks experience reminded me of these days gone by. Just a little reminder of the many sweet memories we have caught on film in the few short years we've been truly blessed to be together during.

Hiking at the Breaks in Virginia, October 2007

The many differences between last year's and this year's experience.

#1) It was cold last year. Not like 2008's 90+ degrees... we were wearing coats!

#2) The leaves were just beginning to change color. Another week or two and this picture would have been a beautiful example of God's "watercolor" artistry.

#3) My knee injure of 2007. I walked around stiff legged for days after this. We hiked a very steep downhill, which sounds like it would be nice, but somehow was very straining on one of my knees which has never liked going downstairs or downhill for some reason. Probably some dance team/track/flag football/ballet injury from high school never fixed OR more likely some clumsy fall I suffered after running into something like the coffee table or desk (to which I probably replied "I'm sorry" before realizing I was talking to an inanimate object).

#4) We did a little more rock climbing last year. Nick is actually kinda high off the ground in this one, I'm taking a picture from the ledge above him. He's got skills :)

#5) We got lost last year. We went downhill for over an hour, all the way imagining we were going to come out on the other end of this different path that would lead to the car; joking the whole time that we would be pretty ticked if we had to hike all the way back where we came from.

Low and behold we came to the bottom of the mountain and met the creek. No magical outlet to the car. No other way but back up. About one hour before sunset and it would be too dark to climb the rocks to get back. No flashlights. No asthma inhaler.

Here you can see Nick, calling his dad to see if he could look up the Breaks trails on the internet and find us a secret passage. No such luck. We only succeeded to worry his parents till we could call back and tell them we made it.

#6) No asthma attack THIS year, no such luck for '07. Am I the accident prone geek you can't take anywhere, or what?!

This pic was taken mid attack on a small breather we took so I could rest between gasping for air while grasping the mountain side. Remember, we had very little time before dark and had to haul tail up-hill before it was too late to see our path. I told Nick this may be my last picture living and something to remember me by. Fortunately, he pushed me (almost literally) back up the mountain. It was pitch black as we walked the last 2 miles to the car, but thankfully, was flat ground by then.

Fingers crossed that 2009 may be our best Breaks year yet! Or maybe we'll save ourselves the trouble of sweating profusely/getting lost/knee injuries/asthma attacks and just play a video game instead.