I'm thankful for...

I wish that I had a piece of paper long enough for me to list all of the things I'm thankful for... including 'having so many things to be thankful for'.  Near the top of this massive pile of nouns and adjectives would be freedom.  


Not in the cliche patriotic sense, though.  I mean the freedom that comes from being healthy and wealthy and wise enough to go out and enjoy the world around me.  The freedom that you can only have when your family and friends love you for who you are - even when who you are is often off on the trail or out in the woods without them.  The freedom to express the simple joy of life whenever I feel like it - without worrying about how it looks to others or whether or not I'm a little absurd.   


I'm thankful all right.   ;)

Kingsnake on Little Flat Top near Aravaipa Canyon.  Awesome offtrail adventure!

Near the high-point of the Bear Canyon - Sabino Canyon loop.  I was SO glad to be done with the back spasms! 

Linda on the Cave Trail in the Superstition Mts. - that's Weaver's Needle in the background!

The awesome Supes. hiking girls salute a great day on the trail!

Angela and I in Glacier National Park this August.  There was still TONS of snow - but that just made us even more excited to see waterfalls! 

Still in Glacier - we're hiking back from the Granite Park Chalet - what amazing views you can get in this park! 

Throwing my arms up to celebrate my first up-close-and-personal encounter with a Glacier.  Here's a link that demonstrates how quickly it's retreating! 

fotogirl in the Inner Basin near Flagstaff, AZ demonstrating great shadow-Wendy technique!

 On the trail with Angela again - this time exploring the rock spires and grottoes of Cochise Stronghold Nat. Monument.  

Trishness and her fellow hiking divas at the end of the See Canyon hike.  There's some girl power!

Here I am just having hiked out of the Grand Canyon on the South Kaibab trail for the first time.  I'd been there on a volunteer trip with the GCHBA.  Fantastic adventure, but I needed to hike in and out 3 times to burn all the calories from the fantastic food!

The rest of this month's Wendys are from my big hike across the Tonto Trail in the Grand Canyon.  I made a goal to have hiked all of the segments of this trail by the end of next year.  That's the kind of goal you want to work on all the time!

Somehow I convinced Cindy to come along.  Maybe it was those amazing views I promised!

Cindy celebrates surviving a Wendy trip to the GC.   The pose was for me - the beer for her ;)