Today I went hiking with our ward Boy Scout Troop. Or Venturer Crew to be more precise. They are getting ready for a fifty-mile hike this summer so they are prepping for that with some shorter hikes. I got up very early and met up with two other moms who were tagging along. We drove up the Gorge to Beacon Rock. Beacon Rock is a 1 mile hike with lots of switch-backs--straight up a huge, ancient volcano plug. I am an old woman and I really don't know what possessed me to leave my warm bed on a Saturday morning and go out in the rain and climb up a big rock! Oh, but this was just the morning's warm-up. We still had to conquer Hamilton Mountain! A seven mile jaunt that was pretty much straight up the mountain... in the mud...on a narrow trail with a sheer drop-off on one side. The other moms are at least 10 years younger and one of them does triathlons for fun-- so you can see I was really out of my league. But, I would like to say I think I represented all the Old Mormon Mothers of Many quite well today. All those years of hauling a diaper bag over my shoulder, a baby seat with heavy baby (I only had heavy babies!) in one hand and a squirming toddler in my other arm made this seem like a walk in the park. Today I got drenched and muddy and I was cold, yet sweating from the effort. We saw some amazing views of waterfalls, the Columbia River, and the awe-inspiring vista of the Gorge.
And I will tell you why I got out of a warm bed on a Saturday morning and went: because my 16 year old son wanted me to go.
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