The weekend part 2.......

Friday night ended in the wee hours of Saturday morning, it was almost two when I crashed on the couch of a good friend to catch a quick nap before I had to be up for my early morning hike. I was up by 4 am and headed out to the Shenandoah Valley to meet Ol’ Rag. I thought this would be a fun hike and had been planning on it all week. I just hadn’t intended to do it on an empty stomach with only 2 hours of sleep. Lol!
Eddie, Parker, Marty, Julie, Leslyn, Millie, and Bonnie allowed me to join them as they headed up the mountain. It is lucky that I enjoy taking pictures….because it gave me an excuse to stop every 10 minutes. Lol! I have attached a few of them here. I can’t post them all. Half of them I can’t even use due to the fact that my hands were shaking to hard to keep the camera steady, but it allowed me the chance to rest. What a lazy bum I am. I am determined, that shall change.

The last third of the hike up the mountain was not really hiking, but not classified as rock climbing, either. It has been described to me as bouldering, and it is my favorite thing in the world! There is something about climbing through the massive boulders that gives me a thrill. Finding a way to climb over the rocks, through the caves, and across the crevices, takes me back to my jungle gym days.

It was an enjoyable day.....We couldn’t have asked for better weather, with blue skies and a fabulous light breeze. The company was enjoyable, and the exercise was good. I fell pretty good that I was able to make it. Even if I told Parker and Marty that I wasn't going to. Lol! Those false summits are cruel and unusual punishment.

The hike down was much quicker, even if the trail was now crowed and we bottle-necked more then once. By the time we reached the cars our mountain was covered with boy scouts, troubled teens groups, many others. So while I hated Parker for making us get up at the crack of dawn, as we came down I was grateful for his foresight.

I must give a special thanks to Marty and Parker who didn’t leave me behind even though I know they wanted to travel ahead. Especially when we were in the boulders, I know it is not safe to climb when you are that tired, so thanks for making sure I didn’t break my neck! I promise not to do it again. :)

And a final humongous thanks to Sarah….who got me home…after the hike and the metro home, I was unsure how I was going to make the 10 minute walk home, thanks for talking me through it.













As a final note….I got home at 3pm and was asleep by 5 pm….I remember nothing until 7:30 the next morning. Now it is 2 days later and the only thing that hurts are my knees. Really, I am getting old! Lol!









So that was my weekend. I hope you enjoy the pictures!