Heading up the mountain...

Sunday is the day we try to do things together as a family.  As the kids get older, it is getting harder to get us all together.  So, we put our foot down today and called a mandatory family hike.  It was beautiful!  We scaled a peak that I've never been on.  Mark had taken our oldest daughter Steph when she was about 11 years old.  I thought, "How hard can it be?"  Well, as you will see, this was not our usual walk-in-the-park hike.  There were ropes to climb....  But the trail was cool, and the view was phenomenal.  And you should know by the name of this blog...it's all about the view with me.  Here are a few pictures of our day.

Our goal was the tallest peak of Mount Olomana.  As you can see, there are some steep climbs.

The trail was a bit muddy.

There are beautiful, old trees that shade the hike most of the way up.  Their gnarled branches and roots are great hand-holds up the muddy slopes.

Every once in a while, the trees clear for a peek of the upcoming view...

We just kept climbing, up and up, and up...

Here is Rachael on one of the rope climbing spots.  There are about 4 or 5 different ropes to climb.

Next up was Rebecca.

Andrew found climbing easier in his bare feet.  Mark spots him from behind.  Andrew will be 10 next month.  He's the youngest one in our family to make this trip.

Finally, after about 90 minutes of hiking, we reach the top!

This is the view looking out over Kailua, and on to Kaneohe Bay in the distance.

There are 3 peaks on this mountain, we stopped at the first and highest peak.

Resting at the top.  The view of Waimanalo in the background. 

(And our friend, Tom.  He's in his early 60's but makes this hike about once a month....)

Rebecca, me and Rachael with Kailua in the background.  Yes, I'm tired but exhilarated by the view!

Smile!

We also brought our friend Jake.  Jake was with us on the hike that Mark punctured his leg.  We had to take him on another hike (get back on the horse, so to speak) and show him that all of our life is not such drama.

After enjoying the view for a few minutes, we realized that the sun was beginning to set.  We had to move back down the trail. 

Have you ever wondered how you got yourself into a situation. I was wishing a helicopter could just pluck me from the summit....but it was not to be. We had to go down the same way we got up...ropes.

My girls are so brave.  They just took off. 

Actually, I was much better at the ropes than I had thought I'd be.  I really wondered if I would be too scared to do it.  There was a time in my life, as I've said in other posts, where I would not have even attempted a hike like this.  (As my sisters will tell you, I've spent what seemed like hours in a tree being too scared to come down.)  But I realized that I would be missing so much.  You just can't explain the experience to someone else (even though I'm trying to here).  And these pictures do not do the view justice.

My man does wonders to get me to places that I really want to go.  His spirit of adventure is contagious.  I love him for it!   And I'll follow him anywhere.

 God is my strong fortress,

and he makes my way perfect.

 He makes me as surefooted as a deer,

enabling me to stand on mountain heights.

 He trains my hands for battle;

he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow.

2 Samuel 22:33-35 (NLT)

I haven't had to draw a bronze bow, but I'm thankful He provided strength to climb those ropes!



Here's this week's entries for the 1000 Gifts list:

53.  cool, rainy days that remind me that it is still winter.

54.  new battery for the car

55.  husband's daily gift of making our bed

56.  Andrew's short story

57.  the freedom of a well-timed "no"

58.  the freedom of a well-timed "yes"

59.  bartering for lessons: ballet and piano

60.  bird songs through the sound of rain

61.  sister's phone calls

62.  when eyes open minutes before the alarm goes off, easing the morning faithfulness

63.  "home education" in my jammies once in a while

64.  home made stew to share

65.  taking a break from my beloved treadmill to run on the open road

66.  safe trip up and down the mountain

67.  living surrounded by incredible beauty

68.  being able to see personal growth in shedding old fears

69.  sharing beauty with family and friends

70.  a cup of tea on a fancy tray







Feel free to join in with your own list. Post a link on your comment. I'd love to see it. Thanks!