Mountains.........a metaphor

Preparations have been made

the bags are packed

the route has been chosen

At this point, when my son realized that camp was just over the top of the first ridge in the center of the picture (which he nicknamed "The Colloseum")

he was overwhelmed
but, when it was his dad that nearly faltered when camp seemed unobtainable,
(this was his first hike after his Achilles' tendon rupture/repair 2 years ago and his legs were cramping up)
My son became the motivator,
telling his dad to just take 10 steps then rest
and it was his idea to run ahead, find the lake, and scout out a camp spot

their views along the way
Mine is a true blogger's hubby -
he dutifully snapped pictures of
the wildflowers

it's important to notice the beauty along the way
The view from the top
(haze from the wildfires)

Almost there

(this picture worried me a bit, but Mr. Triumph assured me that he was just a few feet from solid ground)

The Summit

not the end of the journey,

but where you glory in everything you've learned

for climbing the next mountain,

reaching the next summit