Jeff is on vacation this week and he decided he wanted to do some fun stuff at the beginning of the week. On Monday he had planned to backpack into Loon Lake (above McCall) and camp and then hike out the next day. His birthday is also this week, so we got him a bunch of backpacking/camping gear for his birthday. Then he invited me to go. I wasn't sure, I mean, I am *slightly* out of shape ... but he convinced me I could do it, that I could do anything I put my mind to. It was an 11 mile hike, we could take as long as we needed. I thought about it and then I was in. I got my own backpack and since the didn't have pink, I had to embellish it a little.
We headed out early Monday morning after dropping Bosco off at the kennel and the kiddos off at Alicia's. We had to drive about an hour past McCall to get to the trailhead, and there was some major road construction. By the time we got parked, packs on, and on the trail it was about 1.
Off we went. It was really beautiful.
The Secesh River. 
Our gear, it got heavy.
We kept hiking and hiking and hiking. If Mylie would have been there, she would have said, "We've been hiking for 20 hundred miles!" Did I mention that part of the way in it started raining, and thundering, oh, and that we heard a tree fall over. But we pushed on. I started getting tired. My ankles hurt, and well, I was tired. We were about 3.5 miles in when Jeff said he was making the executive decision that we were turning back. I told him I could make it, that we were closer to the lake than the parking lot ... but wise man that he is, said we were going back. So we turned back and the rain got harder. I got tireder, my ankles hurt even more (I twisted one of them). Jeff told me to take my pack off, I told him he was crazy, but he told me to take it off and he carried his pack and my pack all the rest of the way (3 miles). Our packs were not light, we had intended to camp, so we had a tent and sleeping bags and air mattresses. We had food for that night and the morning and a change of clothes.
But still, he wore his pack, and carried mine. He told me we were a team and he was there to help me. When I told him to go on ahead and I would catch up he told me no, he wasn't leaving me, we were in this together. We are a team.
I am so glad I married this man! I am so glad that I get to be on his team for eternity. He never once got cross with me or frustrated when I needed to stop and rest. He never laughed at me (like when I sat down to take a break and slid onto the trail and just laid there). He encouraged me, stopped when I needed to stop, and had a great attitude the entire way. We were so wet when we got to the car. Of the 6 hours we were hiking, it was raining/thundering for 4 of them. We boycotted all ideas of camping anywhere that night, drove into McCall and had dinner, and then drove back home. We got home around 11 and after a hot shower, I collapsed into bed. Today I am still sore (OK, really sore!), but you know, I am glad I was adventurous. Hiking almost 7 miles is a pretty big accomplishment for me. And next time, I bet I can do more. Of course, Jeff is biking to the top of Bogus Basin ski hill tomorrow - he invited me to go, but I really had to pass on that one!!!
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