Rock Climbing at Lincoln Lake

Hiking the trail

her first boulder... then on to bigger, better things!

Daddy, the badass

She was thrilled! The look on her face is priceless!

my brave little monkey RAPPELLING!!

Last night we had a few friends over for dinner (that's what happens as we get older... more fun to drink wine at home instead of out on the town!) so we weren't planning on doing much more than laying around on Sunday. Our friends Sean and Whitney invited us to go rock climbing and hiking with them at Lincoln Lake, so we thought, why not? I haven't climbed in years... not since before Taylor and I were married and I was trying to impress him. I guess it worked ;) Stella was in a bit of a cranky mood, so she was either happy and laughing, or you could look at her wrong and she would burst into tears. I think we all have days like that, though! So we hiked up a trail (me, carrying Stella and my giant knitting bag, don't know why I thought THAT was neccesary) and ended up at these gorgeous bluffs that were perfect for climbing. Sean went, then Taylor, then Whitney. All the while, Stella is coloring with chalk, snacking, and screaming at granddaddy longlegs. I finally got my chance to climb... and it all came back to me! I love that adrenaline rush when you look down and see how far you came. The scariest part for me was letting go to rappel down. Finally, I let myself go and swung around on the rock to hit the wall. Luckily, there was a ledge and I landed on the rock like it was a seat. I couldn't have planned it better! ha! Stella saw what everyone was doing and decided that she wanted to climb, too. She went for it on a small boulder and climbed it like a monkey. So Sean rigged up a harness (looked a little rickety, but she was safe. Promise.) She started climbing up that giant bluff with no fear! She got pretty high, and finally we made her come down. She cried hard for a few minutes because she didn't want to stop rappelling down the rock. Pretty brave for a 2 1/2 year old! She fell asleep about the minute she hit the car seat. Now we just need to get her a real harness and take her to an indoor climbing wall sometimes! I think she will be a mix of mommy and daddy-- rock climbing in tutus and ruffle socks. Just perfect!!