We don't just look at the mountain from the front porch. Sometimes we climb it. Andrew Henry climbs it about a million more times than I do (and he goes to the top). I could explain my years of ankle problems, sprains and eventual surgery on the ankle last year but let's not get into that now. Needless to say, I've never been to the top. Last Saturday, in an effort to burn off all the Palm Springs calories, we decided to give my ankle it's first real workout. Sunrise - we begin the climb. This is our Valley of the Sun looking east from the mountain. See all the mountains in the distance? We really are a valley (and boy do we get the sun).
This is the same spot looking west. See, more mountains. That's a golf course in the foreground, the mountain is green right now, but not that green.
This is as far as I had been before. It's my "turn around spot". Lucky number 13 - the daughter's birthday after all.
But, last Saturday, we didn't turn around, we kept going. I started climbing an unfamiliar path. I've been doing that a lot lately. I like it. I really, really do. The flowers on the Ocotillo cactus point the way. Seriously, they do, that's the direction we had to go.
This is the view I had never seen before (even MORE mountains).
This is the view on the south side of the mountain. That's downtown Phoenix in the distance, on the right. This is not the top of the mountain. It looked a bit too steep for me from here on up. It's the coming down that scares me the most. I was okay with not going to the top. I was happy with where I was. I made a new "turn around point". I did more than I had before. I did more than I thought I could.
This is the the top.
Not that much farther really. I might go up that last bit someday. I might not. I don't really care. It was a beautiful day, I was with Andrew Henry and I climbed higher than I ever had. I'm good with that.
Coming up: Things I love Thursday of course!
