Girls' Day Out

When we were discussing the week's schedule, one of Janie's first requests was to go on a girls' hike. Being up in the mountains is one of the things that she misses most in their current location. So, Monday was declared HIKING DAY! As we anxiously checked the weather forecast, however, we saw showers were predicted for the entire day. Oh no! To hike or not to hike. . . Fortunately, AccuWeather came through for us, displaying sunshine and clouds instead of rain. We decided to believe them and packed our daypacks. Michelle hikes regularly with the International Women's Club and knows some good single afternoon hikes. Thus, she was our guide for today's adventure. We spent a fabulous afternoon together, strolling through the woods and enjoying the changing leaves.

Though it was hard to have deep discussions on the inclines, we made up for it on rest breaks and downhills!

Not only was Michelle our guide, but she also was the hostess of the day. She packed us the most delicious lunch - chicken salad with apples, pears, and grapes (from their own little harvest), cheddar cheese on nut bread, apples and pears, roasted almonds, snickerdoodles, and hot Honey Rooibos tea in a thermos (we didn't even have to wait for the water to boil!). Delicious! Far better than anything we ever find in our backpacks :-)! We enjoyed the scenic overlook and conversation. The dark clouds even seemed to pass us by as we sat and enjoyed the afternoon.

We then continued on our way around the scenic loop.

No one was even tempted to pick these mushrooms. They found the most fertile ground around, it seems. . .

Michelle, testifying to the healing properties of the banya. . . :-)

In order to get a picture of the five of us, we propped the camera on our backpacks and set the timer. Voila!

Leaves in process of turning. . .

We all really enjoyed spending this beautiful fall day out in the hills with Janie!! What a gift!