Far from the Noise

As much as I love routine, sometimes it feels good to do something different.  Instead of spending money and eating out (two things I don't need to do more of) or running an errand (boring) for our date on Friday we went to the mountains and hiked to the top of the world, or at least this part of the world.  Humpback Rocks is a popular destination, but it isn't little-kid-friendly so we hadn't made the trek.

The heart-pumping, head-pounding vigor of the very steep one mile hike rewarded us with the most amazing views of Shenandoah and the sense that we were very far away from the noise and chaos and relentlessness of our everyday lives down below.  And that felt good.

We realized that it has been five years since we have made any sort of hike without our kids, and I confess that it was tempting to lengthen out our short adventure.  The steady winds threatened to blow us right down onto the Blue Ridge Parkway a thousand feet or so below and it was getting dark quickly so our time on top was brief.

I love our date night and I love my Dan.  He didn't skip a beat in going along with my last minute idea and then he patiently endured my rambling in the car.

Note to self:  When doing a sunset hike, remember your headlamp, for heaven's sake, so you don't have to rush down the trail in the dark woods unsure if your feet are hitting the rocks right or questioning if those blazes on the trees are white or blue or if it's a blaze at all.  I remembered my cell phone, my camera, water, warm layers, but no light.