Instead of Turning Around

As adventurers, our journey was not finished when we stopped at that pool to dip our toes in. We had many more stairs to climb and sights to see. Along with the beauty of nature, there were plenty of ‘human’ moments that pulls the edge of my lips into smiles. Before I spoke of Christopher somewhat as the leader of this pack. He held true for the entire trip and climbed his way in and out of everything.

Climbing 20 of the foot high stairs, it was expected we turn around. Stopping for water, we found a water bottle just sitting around. Mikey decided it was a good idea to throw it down the rocks a few feet from the path. Christopher wasn’t having any of this and retrieved it.

 

 

Only for the bottle to be thrown by Craig much farther down into the brush. Thinking it was gone, I started walking up the stairs again to reach the landing with these roots.

On the tree is a metal map, once holding the location for wilderness hikers before the Falls had become a tourist destination hike.

Once I had made it to a soft, forest landing and found this cave, Christopher had retrieved the bottle and made it up to me. Kisses for my Man! Beyond the forest landing you make it onto the beginning of a ‘trailed path’ made by two lines of rocks on the hard mountain surface. Can you see it in that picture? It’s there.

 

 

 

 

 

Making it past the landing and a few large rocks, a tree or two (forest full) this wide expanse of rock and ‘survival trees’ clutching to dirt was unveiled, our second landing spot.The view out to the lake is fairly well…self explanatory.

Spending a fair bit of time here, there was some mischief to be had along with great pictures. Christopher Kept trying to catch a lizard hid his small body under an immovable rock. 

Christopher had the idea for us to all group up and get these shots, with him and myself switching out places. Obviously while I was snapping pictures the camera was facing the sun, sadly. 

We also recreated a photo Christopher’s dad had once took of him basically on a rock with blue sky behind. Christopher was very happy.

He wanted a shot of us together too, happily. Climbing up that rock took a running stop while he held out his hands. So glad Mom had given me her hiking sandals. 

Soon after we decided it was high time we get back to the house and snuggle in for the day. But not before finding this cute piece of nature. Because my knees were starting to hate me, I had to carefully descend the stairs while Christopher held out his hand to steady me. Perhaps I am bad at putting weight on other people, but just holding that hand lightly gave me confidence.

When we crossed the bridge Christopher halted the party for us (me) to rest awhile. Craig and I chose to sit with legs dangling off the rock and get some shots of the waterfall, while Christopher and Mikey were a bit farther.

Christopher sat up a ways with Mikey and looked down at us.

Butt, we all did notice one thing together.  

 

When we had finished our journey, it was time to sit and wait by the lake for Christie’s father to arrive. Clouds were starting to form and create shadows across the land. Half an hour later, we were back on the home towards cuddles. 

Eagle Falls, South Lake Tahoe

While Rupert was excited to include all of us on his hike to Eagle Falls, he fell to the wiles of Lake Tahoe and its beauty. Enraptured by the lake that greeted us as we first stepped outside the car, Rupert appointed myself and others to take part in an adventure for him. To give an idea of what captured Rupert so whole-heartedly, a picture of Lake Tahoe and Vikingsholm Castle on the island.

Ready to conquer anything nature could throw at us, we intimidated the nearby rocks with our climbing skills.

As promised we saw water falling; note the bridge up ahead, which took us far away into the mountains and beyond, but more on that later. Almost instantly Christopher was off the beaten path in adventure mode, climbing giant logs.

Although it may not look like it, much of this ‘hike’ was actually stairs that had to be traveled up….and down. After taking these stairs, we found the same log Christopher had climbed.

…along with a stump of our own to conquer; Craig did his best tree impression.

When asked to be a tree I complied for Christopher.

It was only when he asked of me “Give me something saucy!” that I replied with this. To which he said he had expected me to take off all my clothes, but the pose would do. 

After more stairs, we arrived beside the bridge to look down at the magnificent falls. The roar of the water was not enough to drown out our voices, nor dampen us.

Before crossing, the camera was whipped out for a (mostly) group shot. A light walk down the path and we arrived  where nature in all its beauty was seemingly everywhere; calling for me to capture its essence in those seconds, before stepping off the bridge.

The duality of thriving life and life past is ever present in this place. The pattern called to me for snapshots at every possible moment. Luckily, this author is refraining from adding every single photo to this post.

After jumping off the bridge, Christopher led us off to the side onto the little smidge of land you can see in the left picture. 

For some time, we camped here and played in the water. Mikey’s swimmer friend Christie was never far out of the water. Mikey, I believe, found a toothbrush holder and Chris gave it to Christie for her to pour water on the two boys.

Water plus these mountains surrounding us were more than ever expected. Nature surely is my favorite place to find myself in.

Along this ‘hike’ nature has been astounding me with beauty and awe. A pattern of ooh and aw started in my brain from two images.

Continually, I was faced with trees existing in spaces that seemed impossible. Some of them had passed their time, while others were still thriving in this rocky wilderness. Most breath taking of all, was the duality of life and death being side by side.

Out in this space everything fights for its roots and life. Being human and only so large, I should have felt small; instead this was a place of peace and whimsical nature for my spirit. At one point, I even had to voice my awe and insisted on everyone knowing my mind. Christopher kindly took a picture with this amazing expression of survival.

What do I mean by this? Well, just look at those roots! They are embedded into the rock, in the only crevice they could find that held dirt and nutrients.