Hiking Through the Snow

Not long ago, Paul suggested to Quinn that he take his quadcopter up to a certain waterfall, way up in the mountains, to get some good aerial views of a spot they hiked to quite often when the kids were younger.

Quinn and I had been wanting to go up and do just that, so when a sunny Saturday came along, we headed out!

To get to the amazing waterfall, you needed to take two trails and hike over seven miles round trip.

All while Quinn carried his quadcopter case...

And don't those signs just look super inviting? Haha!

There were some VERY steep cliffs!

Here you can see where a fence has crumbled and fallen away with the rock underneath it. I didn't get too close to the edge, and I made sure Quinn didn't either...

The view down the side of the steep cliffs was just beautiful though, here Ebner Falls twinkles bright blue in the sunlight.

Up and up the trail went, climbing higher and higher into what once was land for gold and mineral mines.



This was clearly seen in the rail tracks visible on some sides of the mountains from old mine carts. We even happened across a mine entrance! A cold wind blew from inside it, but there was no chance to go into the mountain - it was locked up tight (and our mother would not have been happy if we had gone exploring).





The higher we climbed, the prettier the view got!

The original trail we started out on was called the Perseverance Trail, but it branches up into many more trails along the way. The trail we went off on was called Granite Creek trail.

Granite Creek seemed pretty low as we kept on going. Quinn had hiked this trail many times, but usually during summer, when snow is melting quickly and causes the water levels to rise.

We stopped and rested at a beautiful spot on the creek, and of course Quinn had to pull out the sword he brought (you never know when you'll need one).

This was my first time ever hiking the Granite Creek trail, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I can tell you one thing: I wasn't expecting to hike through snow!

Yes, near the end of the trail, a whole beautiful valley opened up before our eyes...and there was snow everywhere! 

Thankfully we had worn good hiking shoes, but that didn't stop snow from getting in them! But the cold, wet feet was worth it seeing the view before us:

The waterfall roared next to us as we sat down in the sun to eat some lunch and take in our beautiful surroundings. We were so awed by God's beautiful creation that we started singing, and didn't stop till we were already part way back down the mountain.

We put a little video together so we could share with you the adventures and views we saw that day.

This was my first time going up Granite Creek trail, and it wont be the last!

He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth-- the LORD God Almighty is his name.
Amos 4:13

Photos in the Rain

If you've been following the band's adventures since last September, you may remember a particular blog post (read it here) about how I wasn't in any of the band pictures (and why that needed to change). 

Well I have good news! I am finally going to be in an actual band picture! And this time, I wont have to photoshop my one-year-old adorable face into it! 

Yes, I was an adorable little one-year-old.

But a band picture takes a lot of work to organize, namely matching outfits and lots of makeup and fancy hair-dos! 

Also, crazy socks!

Our feet weren't going to be in the pictures, and it was a bit too nasty outside to hike around in heals. So boots are what we wore!

Our cousin Henry came over to take the photos. We started out downstairs in Abigail's studio to first get some close-ups(because we knew when we came back our hair and makeup would be done-for).

But all too soon it was time to go out into the elements, so we each bundled up (us girls being careful to not crease and wrinkle our freshly ironed dresses) and set out for the end of North Douglas Island, just a few miles from home.

Doesn't Abby look great in her beehive hair-do?

And can you tell she's already cold?

Off we went! Cameras, instruments, and rain gear all piled high in our arms.

Thankfully, it didn't rain too much while we took the pictures. But let me tell you, there was a strong, cold wind blowing most of the time!

Melissa remarked to me that this was the coldest photo shoot she had ever done, but Quinn was quick to remind her of every other band photo shoot (some including glaciers and chilly waterfalls). She agreed that maybe this photo shoot wasn't that bad...

Brrrrrrr!

Well, we all agreed it could have been warmer!

I wont point any fingers...

but someone had the bright idea to bring Cedar with us.

She made it into quite a few of our pictures by accident.

Can you tell we're freezing? 

Oh yes, we are so, so lovely.

Well Abigail and I are at least!

I simply can't tell you how excited I am to finally finally finally be in a band picture! I mean, Quinn and I have been married for almost a year, and I've been playing with the band for longer then that! But I'm not bitter, promise.