On Top of the World!

I'll never forget my first airplane descent into Vermont when Steve and I came here for our house hunting trip eight years ago. Steve said, "Look out the window, Jul. Those are the Green Mountains!!" Nothing like the Rockies, or even the Sierra Nevada, but this little piece of earth had a certain appeal . . . rolling, green and beautiful.
Soon after we moved here, Steve outfitted the family with hiking boots. Who was this grad student turned woodsman, I wondered?! We all acquiesced to the hiking plan. That fall, we all went up the Nebraska Notch trail (baby Abigail was in the backpack), but our great idea for a family outing was soon foiled by a puddle of muck and a couple of tired (and tiresome) toddlers.
Not ones to give up, we tried other "gentle hikes for families" which met with some success. Then, for the last few years, Steve has progressed and has taken the older kids on a "strenuous" hike up Camel's Hump. I have always wanted to go, but have been sequestered at home with various combinations of little ones.
Well, this year, thanks to a lovely babysitter named Lydia, I got my chance. We took our neighbors Nicole and Hannah along (you'll see them in the photo). We had an amazing climb! Camel's Hump is the tallest undeveloped mountain in Vermont. This means that you really earn the view--no riding a gondola to this vantage point! In the photo of me and Steve at the top, you can see Lake Champlain in the distance. I finally got a picture of Rachel on my blog too. She is good climber for a six year old! And you can see that Abigail has certainly outgrown her baby backpack!