Bike Crawl

After days and days of rain, we finally had a beautiful sunny weekend to be outside. We loaded up the bikes and headed for downtown Greenville.

Eric had a long route planned that started at one end of Greenville, followed the Swamp Rabbit Trail through town and finished in West Greenville. 

We stopped for a brief picture at the Cancer Survivors Park. When I took this picture, I didn't realize my phone had a focus lense that blurs the backround. I must have hit that feature accidentally, but I love how it turned out!

Here's the unblurred photo so you can see the other two.

When we got the end of our ride, Eric wanted a beer. So we stopped at the brewery on the trail for a refreshing drink while the girls got kombucha.

When the beer was finished, we got on the bikes and went maybe 50 yards to a new brewery that just opened up. He decided to try another beer. This new place had kombucha on tap! The girls loved it!

There was a 3rd brewery just 100 yards away, but we realized we wouldn't make the long ride back if we stopped again. This could be a fun Mueggenborg event for our SC Cousin Reunion in 2023!

Swim Team

Our yougest decided to try out for the swim team, and she made it! Their season is really short...they try out in August and the seaon is done in September. The down side is that swim meets can last 5 hours.

Here's the swim team. The school colors are blue and red, but our daughter decided to have a yellow stripe. That differential comes in handy when I'm trying to spot which swimmer she is among all those in the water.

As she wrapped up her season, she became "Athlete of the Week"! What an awesome accomlishment! After being disqualified from an illegal kick her first meet, she improved so much during the season that her final meet was just 20 seconds shy of going to State! 

Collection

After years of collecting coins, first the state quarters for the two older ones, then the national parks for the younger one, we're finally done! I appreciate all the family and friends who helped us save coin after coin to see if it was needed. 

If you notice, we're dressed like twins! She had a debate at school and was given extra credit if she dressed up. When I saw her outfit, I decided to match. I'm sure she appreciated the effort on my part. 😂😂😂

On another collection project, our Little One loves bananas! She loves them so much that she bought a nerdy periodic table banana sweatshirt and a face mask to match!

Quandary Peak

We woke up early for the big 14er. None of us slept well despite trying go to bed early. Our nerves were getting to us, and fear of weather changes on the summit didn't help. But this was what we had trained for, so it was time to go.

We can do this! That was our mantra.

This 14er didn't waste time getting our heart rates up. The 6.6-mile trail included 3300' elevation gain. Beautiful views about a quarter of the way up.

The tree line faded quickly as rocks & boulders covered the trail. 

The trail just went up and up...never flat to allow you to catch your breath.

Every 20-30 min I had to stop, drink water, eat a quick bite, and allow my heart rate to level. It's the slower way to go, and I applaud all those runners who passed me by, but this is how I climb. Slow and steady. I think at this point Halie was already at the top.

With only a mile and a half to go, here's the view of the summit. I don't know if you can click on the picture to expand, but it's pretty daunting and quite humbling. There's tiny specks of people on the trail ahead. One step at a time. I can do this.

A pair of mountain goats block the trail. From this picture, though, you can get a better sense of the incline.

Halie waited for us over an hour, but we eventually made it! Whew, what a climb! Judy packed a mini bottle of white wine to toast at the summit. None of us took more than a sip. We just wanted water and carbs. 

Here's the geographical marker showing the exact point of the summit.

On the summit! Bucket list item, check.

Another view from the top of Quandary.

Being exposed like that makes it chilly. What's worse, is the clouds looked ominous in the distance. Just one more summit picture, then we headed down.

As we headed down, I glimpsed back and Judy snapped this pick. It's probably my favorite of the whole trip.

Cousin Hike - CO

Six fabulous ladies from six different states met up in Breckenridge, CO for a week of hiking. We represented (left to right) Texas, South Carolina, Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Oklahoma.

When we all arrived, we set our things down in the rented condo, changed clothes, and headed out. One hike per day for five straight days. Each hike increased in intensity to prepare us for the 14,000 ft. mountain at the end.

For Day 1 (arrival), our hike was a relatively easy 1.5 mile walk to Lily Pad Lake. This helped us to stretch our legs from the plane trip and get use to breathing the dry, high altitute air. A cute sister picture with the lake in the background was in order.

Dinner was fun...margaritas and enchiladas! Lots of laughter, hugs, and stories to catch up. As the shortest of everyone, I was given the top bunk. 😂

Day 2 involved a 6-mile moderate hike with gorgeous views! The summit was a little windy with dark clouds in the distance, so we cut our lunch break short to head back down.

You can see tiny people in the distance on the trail as well as those ominous clouds rolling in. Shortly after this picture was taken, we got soaked. 

By the time we got back to the condo, the weather cleared, but we were all still cold. Our hot tub on site was the perfect remedy!

Day 3 was the last day we were all together. This was our longest hike of the week with 9 miles and 1500' elevation gain to Willow Creek Falls. It started out lovely with lots of positivity.

We arrived at the falls like pros. The sun was super hot, but we enjoyed the cool water on our feet and faces, a nice rest for lunch, and a toast to Julie on her 50th birthday.

The return hike, no so good. Teresa wanted to take a different route back to increase our adventure, and we all decided to stick together. Issue #1, the water crossings were all sketchy.

Issue #2, Halie's backpack got stuck on the next water crossing. Judy to the rescue!

Issue #3, Julie is not having fun. Teresa said she didn't realize our detour was a steep incline.

Issue #4, the trail becomes boulders with no markers and we are all feeling the same as Julie.

Issue #5, we are all running low on water. Through shear fortitude and the release of choice words we rarely express, we managed to find our way back. Happy faces at the end!

Our last night with all six of us was fun! Board games, beers, and lots of laughter! We promised to get together again in Aug. 2023.

Day 4 was a hike with just Halie, Judy, and me. We went 8.5 miles with 2,100 ft elevation gain to Mohawk Lakes (a set of 3 lakes). It was beautiful!

The terrain started very woody with cool weather and plenty of shade.

After the initial big climb, our reward was an amazing view!

There was also a neat log cabin up there that is still used today for overnight campers.

Our destination was still a long way up, so again we climb.

Once past the tree line, we enjoyed cooler temps, a different terrain, and lots of sunshine.

Finally, our destination at lake #3! Lunch time.

But we can't relax yet...Halie said there's a fourth lake just a few more miles up and we should go see it. "You Only Live Once", she said. Urggh.... Why does the youngest have so much energy??!!! We pack up and keep hiking, using rocks as our lilly pads to jump across what I thought was our desitination.

Now the final, final destination, and time to relax.

As we decend, I realize how far we have to go. My knees are hurting just thinking about it.

At least there's a cute billy goat to see on the way down. 

Tonight was little dinner, little talking, and going to bed early. The big hike was tomorrow.