31 Days of Gratitude- {Day 12} The Mountains are Calling...

...and I must go. 

-John Muir

Last week, my husband and I were able to get away

  ^^^  for a quick backpacking trip together to go here ^^^^

And we took the almost-10-month-old along because, well, nursing still.  And mommy anxiety has also set in (our kids always do this right around the 9-11 month period).  so she and I don't do overnights away from each other yet.  

We dropped the oldest three girls off for a few days with Nana and Granddaddy (my parents) and then headed to the Eastern Sierras.  As we drove north on 395, we passed by all kinds of really ugly, boring scenery, but we also saw cool stuff like in the picture below.  

I think this is Owen's Valley.  While Chris drove, I yapped his ear off.  And he sometimes offered a mumbled reply here or there.  haha. 

As we got closer and grabbed our overnight permit in Lone Pine, we got a nice view of the Sierras (Mt. Whitney is one of those peaks).  As you can see, lots of snow up there.  I mentally started panicking just a little.  Chris had mentioned snow, but suddenly I connected that it might not just be a dusting.  And I love snow when I can go inside and get a nice mug of hot cocoa after a few minutes of sledding, snowman-building etc., but backpacking means you don't have the luxury of a nice warm house to escape to with central heat.  As I gazed up at the snow high in the mountains, I was sweating because down in the valley it was like 90 degrees.  And then I just stopped worrying about hot OR cold weather for awhile and we got back in the car to drive to the trailhead and I yapped some more and thought about how nice it was going to be to get away for a bit and just enjoy the beauty of God's incredible creation.  

Almost to the trailhead, I wanted to grab this lovely shot of the beginnings of the fall colors we were seeing, but also got a nice, ugly piece of windshield in the shot.  haha. 

 

Even though it was still warm at the trailhead, I began getting some layers on Sophie so that she'd be snug as we hiked up into the cold.  The picture on the left is her bottom layer, warm tights and a short-sleeve onesie.  Picture on the right, we add a pair of her big sisters' REI hiking socks which are pretty much pants on her.  

And next comes another layer: long sleeve onesie and some pants plus those Robeez shoes. 

Yes, she doesn't match at all.  Yes, she is adorable.  

 

Chris left us with the packs and went to park the car in the lot where you were allowed to leave them overnight.  Sophie and I tried to get a selfie that showed us plus the pretty yellow aspens behind us.  We look pretty cute, but the aspens don't really show...

 

Chris arrived back and we grabbed our packs and began our trek up into the eastern Sierras.  And of course we got a group selfie of us at the beginning.  Sophie wasn't really cooperating.  She wanted to look around at all the pretty trees. 

The brilliant yellow of the leaves was impossible to capture on camera in a way that even came close to showing the vibrant, bold, beauty.  

As we amble along these mountain trails, leading upward into the mountains, I always think of some of my favorite Saint quotes....

 

 

I snapped a few more pictures trying to capture the vividness of the yellow (and some orange) leaves, but it was impossible.  These pictures are lovely, but you truly have to see it to grasp even a fragment of just how ablaze these groves of aspens were. 

 

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."

-Albert Camus

As we moved further up and into the mountains, we followed a creek which eventually led to a large rushing waterfall.  Chris can tell you that I love waterfalls.  Love, love, love them.  Since the beginning of our relationship, he and I have been exploring in search of waterfalls.  And we were blessed to find several along this route; most small, one big. 

Eventually a few miles in, we passed into the John Muir Wilderness.  If you don't know much about John Muir, I recommend reading about him.  He's a really cool naturalist.  SOMEDAY, Chris and I WILL complete the John Muir Trail.  And I'm excited for that.  But back to our recent trip...

More beautiful fall colors.  It felt like a fantasy land; it was just. so. beautiful. 

As we journeyed along, my pack seemed so heavy and my shoulders ached.  We stopped from time to time for a few minutes to give my weary shoulders some relief for a moment or to allow me to nurse Sophie.  The long and winding trail eventually began to feel like it might never lead to the beautiful lakes that we had read were waiting up ahead.  

Then suddenly we arrived at the first lake.  

And it was beautiful. 

As we ambled further toward the second lake we noted that there was more and more snow on the ground.  So when we got just past the gleaming blue second lake (see the picture below), we quickly decided that it would be best to stay there for the night instead of trekking further in where there would only be more snow on the ground.  

So we set up camp and that is where I shall end my story for today.  This beautiful, incredible view of God's creation, this marvelous masterpiece painting of His, this peaceful stillness was exactly what we needed, if only for a moment.  

God is so, so good.