Friday, August 29, 2008

Friday's Foto Finish Fiesta

These were taken a little while back on a hike we took on Sugar Loaf Mountain, in Maryland. It was an absolutely beautiful January day. Warm. Blue skies. We took the dog. On the way home we stopped at a little winery at the bottom of Sugar Loaf and I remember they let us bring the dog in. Gave him treats. Gave the girls goldfish crackers and Sprite. How good the wine was under such a blue sky.

What I really remember about this day, was how fearless my girls were. It took me by surprise. I remember thinking how steep the trail was. How big those boulders were, next to my little girls. The floor of the mountain was covered in thick, crunchy, dried leaves. I was full on Momma, watching my girls jump from boulder to boulder. Lift rocks up, looking for bugs. Run through the blanket of leaves. All I could think of was ticks and rattlesnakes and I was sure that they were going to fall off one of those boulders and crack their head open. Sure of it. I had to remind myself to breathe, to look at the view.

My brothers, sisters and I grew up in the desert and mountains of Arizona. We went camping, hiking and swimming in lakes. We walked around barefoot. Got sun burnt. My dad used to hunt rattlesnakes. And we always had some creature in our bathtub. A tortoise, a frog, a snake. We camped out under pine trees and the Milky Way. I always loved this about my upbringing. That nature was a huge part of it. It is in me. I want it in my girls too.

So what happened on Sugar Loaf? Where did all my fear come from? Did my dad feel all that when he took us out? Did he hold his breath too? He must have. But just like I did, holding my breath and all, he let us go.

To participate in Friday's Foto Finish Fiesta (and you must, you must), go to:

http://carriestuckmann.blogspot.com/

















10 comments:

Jennifer said...

Oh that looks like fun! The girls look like hiking pros!

Jenny said...

What a great name - Sugar Loaf Mountain.

I know what you mean by holding your breath and letting the kids go.

Anonymous said...

very cute blog and I love your pictures :)

Rhonda said...

Wow! I would LOVE a snowless January day! How nice!

Shannon said...

Great pics... looks like it was a fun day!

Jennifer P. said...

Oh egad! My heart is skipping a beat just thinking about the possibility of cracked heads :)!

It IS gorgeous though! Glad you were able to at least half-enjoy it!

T said...

It's hard to let the spread their wings so to say isn't it! Keep breating momma! There's lots of us out here that completley understand!

Dee said...

Great pics... mummy radar is always good, but as you said, its the letting go that really matters

Liesl said...

haha, different sugar loaf mountain definitely.
You´re brave, I´m not the outdoorsy type. I´d probably die if Thomas lifted a rock looking for a bug. Think of the evil stepmom in "The parent trap" LOL

We made it here, with a few setbacks. But that´s part of travel, right?
xoxo

KatBouska said...

Awww these are sweet. It's hard to sit back and let them do stuff. I just want to papoose my kids for the rest of their lives. Why do they need to go out and explore and make their own mistakes?? Why can't we just stay home and watch Disney movies and eat cookies?? Why??