Beech and Beech and Beech

We climbed Beech three times this summer.

It never disappoints, but this year was especially exciting for a couple reasons.  The fire tower was open on the weekends.  I don't remember it ever being open in my life.  It was such fun to get up in it.  A forest ranger explained a bit about mapping and reporting fires.

And we gave the long way down a try with the girls for the first time.  Usually, we use the short, gradual trail up and down.  I love the long way down, but it is long and I've never felt the girls were up to it.  This year, they did it twice, under their own steam.  One of the times, Frances was with her older cousins and Chandler and I were hiking alone.  Chandler chatted the entire time, all this pretend stuff with us as matching, glitter-covered Pegasus/unicorn beings.  Talked and talked and talked, and hiked!  It was a miracle.  And it meant we got to see all the beauty of the long way down.

Nicely done girls!  Next stop, hiking in Wales, or Iceland, or Machu Picchu or...