Hanging Lake Adventures

So, we decided to go on a short hike for Labor Day. Little did we realize how difficult a 2 mile hike could be! It was pretty much scaling boulders the whole time. The majority of the women we passed by made comments like, "okay, I need to stop complaining now" or "you are so brave" or "wow, I'm impressed!" Realizing that I was heavy with child and climbing this mountain humbled them. News flash: it humbled me too! It was the toughest 1 mile hike uphill I have ever faced. Poor Jonathan had to carry Ethan on his shoulders most of the way because of the overabundance of boulders. We made it, though, and the story only gets more interesting when we reach the top.

One of the many times we crossed over the stream.

Ethan loves riding on Daddy's shoulders. Jonathan sure got a workout.

We finally made it!! A beautiful sight to behold! This lake was on top of a cliff and one could see to the very bottom (30 ft or so).

This waterfall, dubbed Spouting Rock because it does just that, was on top of the other few waterfalls in Hanging Lake.

So here's where it gets interesting. Right about now, as the tripod is helping us take a family shot, is when I begin to notice a strange smell. I blamed Jonathan and he denied it so I checked Ethan's diaper. Yep - diarrhea! And one more thing, we had no diapers or wipes with us! We put Ethan on a rain jacket and begun to grab leaves for to replaces wipes. Luckily for Ethan we stuck an old first-aid kit in our backpack at the last minute. Inside were 4-5 1x2" alcohol wipes and rubber gloves. Jonathan gloved me up. At this point I could resist the urge to bust out in laughter. I mean, it was just plain hilarious. Jonathan had a hard time laughing because he knew he had to carry him back down the mountain on his shoulders. Well, I wiped him up as best as possible and searched for something to replace a diaper. We took off his sweaty socks and put one up his crack and the other on his package. His pants went back up and we put him back up on Jonathan's shoulders. So, we headed back down the mountain and within 5 minutes Ethan showed signs of sleepiness. He only lasted 10 minutes before beginning to fall back. I took the backpack and Jonathan carried Ethan in his arms the rest of the way down. He was out! What an adventure! It took us 1 hr. & 45 min. to reach the top and only 40 minutes to descend.

The way back down

Well, that night we had to go grocery shopping and it took me 2 whole hours! I was so wiped out that I was moving at a snail's pace and could barely keep my eyes open. After all is said and done, Jonathan talks of returning to Hanging Lakes. I tell him good luck in trying to convince me! It was a beautiful hike, but come on! :)