I have scaled the mountain! Well, actually E. scaled it first, and I was right behind, clinging for dear life to the rope. Which I could show you if I had NOT deleted the photos as they were uploading. The one to the left are pulled from the boyscouts' website, but that's pretty much exactly how it looked from the bottom as we pondered how much stamina we really had in us.


"El Toro"--while no Everest, is 3 miles straight up and straight back down (that's total mileage). It's also on private property so the only way to reach it without being driven off by shotgun and hounds is once a year, when the owners open it for a public tour. So we hiked it with about 65 other people. Still, it was cool. The only photos that I managed to save were not taken at the summit, but about halfway up:















With binoculars we could see our house from there, as well as most of the town. We have been hobbling around the house yesterday and today since our calves haven't seen that much action since...well maybe ever.


All in all it really was a good time and since E. has been coveting this hill since we moved here a year ago, he felt especially proud to stand at its summit and proclaim, "I am all that is man!"

:)
JPR