Mirror Lake

We took my parents to Mirror Lake while they were in town visiting. It was some place that we had not yet been ourselves and knew that we wanted to hike to the lake at some point during our stay here. The hike itself was extremely beautiful. The forest was exactly as I imagined the Pacific Northwest to look like prior moving our family here. It was peaceful and awe inspiring. I could see myself living in a pine forest such as this someday.

It was cloudy and therefore the lake itself wasn't as magnificent as I thought it would be, but that just means that we will have to take this hike again when the clouds are at bay and we can see the reflection of Mt Hood in the lake. (It actually seemed more like a pond because it was so small.)

I was really, really proud of Sarah as she climbed up the whole 1.5 mile trail to the top all by herself. The terrain was mostly uphill on the way up and it was narrow and rocky in a lot of places. Still she did it all by herself and I was so very proud. It is just one more step towards her complete independence from us.  (I was a nervous wreck as there were some steep drop offs along the trail, but I made sure that I stayed behind her so that she didn't feel like I was hovering too much but was still close enough that if she did have a fall I could catch her.)

Trips like this one are good for me as they remind me why we choose to move our family around the country rather than staying in one place. Seeing the things we have been able to see these last two years has been amazing. Although there are times when I doubt whether we are making the right decision for our children by sacrificing community and family for adventure when we travel to places like Mirror Lake my doubt washes away and I am replaced with nothing but gratitude for the life that we choose to lead.

This is just one spot where you can imagine it might be difficult for a blind person to climb this path. Both the switch back and the logs and the tree roots and rocks. Sarah did it though. One step at a time. There were other parts of the trail that were much more rocky and full of tree roots. If you ever have a chance to watch her she really is one of the most inspiring people you will ever meet. 

Andy and his crawfish....