The longest hike I've ever done

Once the sun was up and we had a clear blue sky, we set off on the day-hike. I knew I had a lot ahead of me... but even when we stopped for lunch and I asked how much further we had to go, I was surprised when the guide said we were (only!) about halfway. Yikes!

Thankfully, the new hiking boots I bought for the big day were comfortable enough. Since we had taken two chairlifts UP the mountain, most of the hike was downhill. I hurt my knee throughout the day and it bothered me quite a bit for the next two weeks. Now (over 5 weeks later) it's fine.

I'm glad I did the hike... but I'm not really yearning to do it again anytime soon. I usually enjoy a 3-hour hike or so, not really 10 hours! Troppo! (Too much!)

39 ninth graders and a 10-hike... GO!

One of the guides taking a group photo of us (his photo is the one after):

The group!

Not sure if you can see it in the photo above but atop each mountain peak, there is a cross. Each cross is different and even made of different materials. We took the photo standing around the cross.

Below, we are marching to our lunch spot. Top of a mountain, 360-degree view!

(We may have been the group of stragglers and Gunther, in the middle, was pulling us all along the final steps!)

I had a bad cold all week and was really feeling it the day of the hike.

It was tough to keep the kids going while I wasn't feeling up to par myself.

I took a much needed nap after eating lunch.   :P

Just. Stunning.

(Ok, maybe I would do this hike again. Ha!)

Almost to the refugio! (There are refuges along hikes, where you can get a bike to eat, sit and rest, and even spend the night at some.) We enjoyed a rest and some snacks before the final decent to get to the bus.

We did it! We were all exhausted by the end of the day. Some students soaked their feet into the cold water of a stream while waiting for the bus. They were already worried (and complaining) about the "Night Hike" scheduled for the next evening. I felt the same! Haha. In the end, it was worth it and we all bonded along the way.

Cinque Terre's FLOWERS

The colors in Cinque Terre are vibrant. The flowers along our hike were gorgeous and vibrant as well...

In front of a house in Volastra:

On our way to Corniglia's train station:

hiking with Mom and Dad at the Bluffs, NY

I enjoyed the walk along the bluffs in Chimney Bluffs State Park with Mom and Dad. Hot day... fun hike.

I see a Mom!...

...more hikin views! at the Bluffs, NY

More views along our hike in Chimney Bluffs State Park:

hikin views! at the Bluffs, NY

Chimney Bluffs State Park ...gorgeous. Below are some photos taken along our walk along the bluffs.

Incredible. I didn't know that this was so close to my hometown! (Less than an hour's drive.)

And a couple other 'views' just for fun:

falling trees at the Bluffs, NY

The walk along Lake Ontario in Chimney Bluffs State Park was very nice... even on a super hot day. The trail is right along the edge of the cliffs at some parts and said edge is continually making its way further and further back. Some of the trees (roots included) looked as if they had very recently fallen (collapsed!) off the edge... landing at the bottom along the water's edge... and many of the trees still grow this way!

This one fell the wrong way! Yikes.

Chimney Bluffs State Park, NY

While my brother, Lenny, and his wife, Lexey, were home in Rochester a couple months ago, they visited Chimney Bluffs State Park with my parents. I had never heard of this state park before their visit!

Mom and Dad took me there this past week too. It's really great. I never knew that we had bluffs like this so close to us... right along Lake Ontario! We parked in the lot and then walked about a 3-mile round-trip to (and along) the bluffs and then back. This is my kind of a 'hike'... flat!!

Mom and Dad:

View of the bluffs from the start of the hike along Lake Ontario:

Let's go!

Michael and Ellie-dog... hikin' - Kathmandu

Sarah adopted Ellie about a year ago and now she loves Michael as well. Michael walks her, feeds her, etc. Ellie loved our hike! She enjoyed the hot hike, tried making friends with ALL the animals along the way, and basically just loves life... as doggies should.  : )

It was great to spend a week with a dog around.

animals from Sankhu to Nagarkot! hikin'... Kathmandu

Many, many goats, cows, and chickens along our hike!!

Ellie-dog wanted to play and make 'friends' with everyone... especially the chickens, who weren't too sure of her. The people we came along also weren't too sure of Ellie. She is a gorgeous golden retriever but most Nepalese have never seen this breed of dog before. ...We really scared one guy! Whoops!