Another 10 miles

It may be a bit redundant... but we couldn't let the year pass by without our annual 10 mile round trip to Mt. LeConte. Last year's visit was a bit rough with the painfully frigid weather... I was extra careful with my weather watching to not make that same mistake again. Low and behold - it was a lovely hike, from start to finish... one of our best!

 I really love sneaking away from life and soaking in all that these glorious mountains have to offer.

 It's extra enjoyable to have the opportunity to do it with these two handsome companions.

Walking across the bridge to Arch Rock... our first major milestone.

 And the beloved Alum Cave... means we're almost halfway there... and means we get to stop and eat some lunch!

 This time we had a friendly little squirrel join us for lunch

 We got rained on just a bit... but it wouldn't be a trip to Mt. LeConte without some random weather passing by!

 Sam and Charlie were distracted by a cloud flying overhead at an unusual speed...  It's really cool to observe the weather from this high in the sky. You get to be a part of it.

 This time we hiked up an extra 1/4 mile to the lookout at the top of the mountain....  it was windy and clouds were flying by. It was a pretty cool site to see.   Also loved how the wind flew threw our clothes and added a few extra pounds to each of us :)

Lord, please make my boys love the outdoors... I can only hope these adventures shape them to have big dreams and always crave new adventures and accomplishments.