Thankful

 We had a really great time this past week catching up with family, good friends, and some of the beautiful places we grew up hiking and biking in northeastern Connecticut. We really are from a beautiful spot; we are so lucky to have had access to the outdoors like we did. Look where it has brought us! We're very thankful for that.

Who needs shoes? Enter the barefoot revolution?

I had never ever had a foot problem, blister, hot spot, swamp foot, etc....until, that is, I was invited on a sunset hike up Mt. Hunger. All it took was a pair of new boots and a poor sock choice and there they were: not twenty minutes in half dollar sized blisters on both my heels - excruciating! However I took this in stride and decided I would not keep my hiking partners - especially Lauren who would make this her first hike up Hunger - from the summit. So I took my boots off, freed my feet, and proceeded to barefoot hike up the rest of the way to the summit of Hunger. What little mud there was I found soothing and cool between my toes as sweat dripped from my nose and forehead the whole way in 90 degree heat. As I reached the top no worse for wear, my feet bare, I think I might have learned a thing or two about my feet and myself. There is nothing better than good hiking company on a hot day with a beautiful sunset, PBR and you never know you might just forget your shoes.....

Snow in the mountains.

A couple mile hike into the mountains revealed what we had already suspected; snow.