Max Tackles the Mountain

The boys were up at 5:45,

• frozen Vitamin waters in the back pack -check-
• Same for PB & J's on white bread. -check-
• The flashlight -check-
• Power Bars -check-
• Park passes -check-

The ride up to mountain was a pain as heading East the sun was right in our eyes, so I bought the worst looking sunglasses on the planet. Seriously I look like my brother in my Moms glasses but they served their purpose, keeping the sun and then the dirt out of my eyes.

My ex (the self proclaimed expert on most everything) warned us and probably rightly so that we should set a cut off time of 3:00. That is if we were not up to the top by 3:00 we should turn around. Sounded like sound advice, but to be quite honest, I wasnt really worried about that.

8:36 -We set foot on trail pretty much right on schedule. Max liked the gentle 2.0 miles walk up to the Lewitt trail. We ran into a couple whom were roaming aimlessly and they asked us where the top of the mountain was and we answered -"You have not even started yet." . The gave us a befuddled look that indicated they were not going to make it. We saw them later fairly close to the top. I told Max to say goodbye to the trees and that he did and when he saw the boulder fields in front of him Max was rather excited.

We climbed over boulders bigger than Max and at about 1500 feet up the Mountain Max wanted some jerky and I searched my back pack for water and it was good on this hot day. Vitamin Water slushies are the bomb. We met a neat group of people at the 7000 foot level where Max sat and fed some hungry chipmunks. The last 1600 foot climb to the top was a bit of work as it was in sand and scree and the sun was starting to get warm. But Max had very little trouble making it to the top.

At 12:34 ,he in his Phillies hat, was greeted by a few cheering people at the top and another guy in a Phillies hat. We had Peanut Butter & Jelly at the top as well as a Vitamin Water slushy. Max enjoyed the view inside the volcano. The view to the south was outstanding as we could see clear down to the Three Sisters in Bend.

The climb down was alot of fun but Max had some stomach problems for an hour as we hiked with some girls from Little Rock. They were nice and offered him little snacks, but all he needed was to duck behind a tree and go to the bath room.

The gentle walk in the woods at the bottom was time for Max to look at types of mush rooms, and every odd old growth tree he could find. We were off the mountain at 3:58. An eight hour hike for a ten year old. Not bad, as I am gushing proud of him. When we got home he wanted pierogies. So thats what he had. And he slept well.

Link to Real Time Mountan Photos