Now That I Live In The Mountains...

Today we decided to get off our lazy butts and explore what our new hometown has to offer. We drove all the way west and discovered Red Rock Canyon. Ok, that's kind of a lie...we didn't really discover it...someone told us it was there and we looked it up on the internet and kinda planned ahead, but still...

Anyway, the last time I went hiking, I mean, REAL hiking (not in FLAT Florida) was probably about 4 years ago when I went with Michelle to the Grand Canyon. Today I discovered just how out of shape I am...BUT I didn't do too bad for a "beginner" as Spencer liked referring to me. (Because he's from Oregon where there are mountains, apparently that makes him a skilled hiker by birth or something...) The trail we took was called Calico and it was about 2 miles one way. Here's the path we took:

It was really beautiful and we had a lot of fun...as you can see...




...The only problem was that since Spencer is such an EXPERIENCED hiker, he kept wanting to go off the trails. I told him repeatedly that it wasn't a good idea and needless to say, he was slightly disappointed in my lack of adventure. He pouted a little bit and I apologized repeatedly and reminded him that it was just for our safety and FINALLY I convinced him to stay on the path:

And that was all fine and good. We carried on our trail to finish our hike...that is, until the trail just DISAPPEARED! This made me VERY nervous, suddenly having visions of us being lost forever if we kept going, so I tried to tell Spencer we had to go back, but in the midst of my worried face while we were both realizing the trail was gone, he was getting giddier and giddier by the minute...because to him this meant we HAD to go off the trails...FINALLY...and there was nothing I could do about it. So after a little arguing, I finally realized that he actually WAS more experienced in hiking than I was, and that I trusted him with my life, so if he thought it was safe, then I guess it was ok. Despite my shaking and whining just about the entire time we were off the trail, I made it down THIS Spencer-created trail:

And I came from up there all the way down this crevice:

But once I was on somewhat stable ground, I got a little more confidence and even bounced up some rocks to take the picture below, at which time, the other picture below shows what Spencer had to say about staying on the trails:


So we both had a great time, and we are definitely going back...because even though the guide map said our trail was easy-moderate...Spencer made it "strenuous" so now we are ready for more trails! Well, maybe I'll be honest...even though I feel very brave after making it down the not-so-much-a-trail trail, I think I will stick to the easy-moderate trails for the next couple of hikes...just until I become a seasoned hiker like my boyfriend from Oregon! :)