Crystal Mountain

Since we spent so much time on Crystal Mountain this winter we decided to take a visit to see what it looks like in the summertime.  We took a lovely ride up the gondola to the top of the mountain for stellar views.

Riding back down the gondola seemed a bit too easy.  It sounded much more fun to hike down the mountain and have a picnic lunch.  It is only 3 miles and all down hill, how hard can it be?   The hike started off quite well.

But then quickly got a bit difficult.  Our peaceful picnic lunch got a bit sidetracked with a swarm of mosquitoes, flies, giant ants and more.  We ate quickly and continued to head down.  Nora then had some bathroom issues to tend too but we got that straightened out too.  The most difficult thing about the hike was the footing.  The trail was all covered in loose rock, gravel and dust that made it difficult to get good footing going downward.  There were a numbers of slips and falls and a few whines and complaints.  But luckily we all rallied (with the help of daddy's emergency candy supply) and we made it to the completion. Of course, there weren't many other options.  By the time we realized how difficult it was, the climb back up to the gondola would have been just as difficult.  This was definitely a bigger adventure than we intended but we felt very accomplished (and sore and tired) at the end.  It was fun to see the ski runs without the snow and talk about what lifts we ride on.   Looking foward to the upcoming season all ready!