Escaping the Heat

Yesterday it got to 99 degrees in the valley. So we headed high up on the mountain to find some cooler air, and sure enough, at the trailhead at about 10,000 feet it was 70 degrees. Yeah! We started out on a hike towards the bristlecones with eight kids and two moms. 

Desert Boy hiked some on the way up, and two of his cousins were really helpful, guiding him over the rocky terrain.

We stopped to smell the flowers. They all learned that these Polemonium flowers smell like skunks!

The flower is pretty, but stinky.

The real excitement came when we reached a patch of snow.

The girls made snow angels,

while Desert Boy threw snow balls at them.

Up ahead, some of the older cousins had found a wonderful snow-covered hillside and were busy sliding down it.

You could get some good speed on the slippery slope.

They did it over and over again, enjoying the speed and the cold.

Amazingly, no one even got hurt!

Eventually we had to leave, and one of my nieces helped carry my camera back to the trail. I enjoyed looking at the photos she took on the way.

Happy cousins.

"I'll make a face because I want to."

Peace, rock glacier.

"I just ate something really tart."

The end of the hike ended with a snack--animal crackers dipped in Nutella. Everyone agreed that was the best snack ever in the entire universe.

Especially Desert Boy. He slept the whole way down, but he woke up for the snack. He wouldn't miss that for anything.