Exploring Washington Day #2.........Paradise continued

So yes my mom is ok. This hike, as small as it was tested all of our courage, strength and focus. We had to face our fears. My poor mom has had to deal with me and my husband picking on her for freaking out on the hike. We all had our moments of being scared and I am so proud of my mom for conquering something she was too afraid to do before. We made it through this hike as a team, as a family. It was incredible.

My poor husband had a hole in his shoe and no socks on. Each step in the snow equaled some very cold toes. Once we made it to the top the view didn't exist due to the clouds.When you got to panarama point they had the fanciest bathroom you had ever seen.

Yes I did put up a picture of a toliet. As we started making our way down it started to clear up.

We thought all of our fearful moments were over until we had to cross this ledge....

Now those are people that went after us. Yes they were prepared with poles and seemed to have no fear. We creeped along step by step they kinda did a sprint. One little slip and you would of been sliding down the mountain.

Finally we were home free. Enjoy the magnificent views ahead. Eager to make it to some food and water. Hot chocolate was on my mind. Going downhill has it's own challenges. Each step equals pain in the knees. My body was starting to feel a little older then it is. Of course I am coming up to the 30 mark as far as age goes and yes I know some of you would slap me for saying that.

We did meet some friends along the way. From what I have been told these are called Marmots. Marmots are large ground squirrels as stated in wikipedia. That was really the only animal we saw except for a deer on the drive to paradise.

The beauty out there was like no other. I am originally from Florida which of course has its own beauty but you know when you live somewhere your whole life you are just dying to experience the world. I definitely have. Now I have found my home. Of course I love seeing other places out there traveling and everything but I love it in Washington. There is the ocean and the mountains.

When I look at the pictures I almost have nothing to say. The beauty speaks for itself. Hiking the entire skyline trail brought us to an elevation of 7,100 ft. It was a total of 5.4 miles long that seemed like 20 during the hike.

Finally the paradise visitors center was in site. We were on our way to 3 of the worst and most expensive cups of hot chocolate that tasted like the best thing in the world. After that we went to a little cafe called Cooper Creek Inn restaurant. Famous for its wild blackberry pie. Yes I ate all of it. We almost ate them out of food after hiking with no food at all. We built up an appetite and it was amazing. A little cheat once in a while keeps you sane as long as you know how to get right back on track. I almost forgot the nice sunburn I get to recover from now. Don't underestimate the power of sun and snow together. Oh and the fact that if I didn't have my dark cloths on you wouldn't be able to even see my white self in the snow.