Nature

At last, it's time to show off the long-awaited pictures from last week's hiking trip! As I mentioned before, Lucas and I had planned on going to Disneyland again for our anniversary last Tuesday. It was a beautiful day and we quickly decided that we would rather spend that perfect day out in Mt. Baldy.

I'll let you in on a little secret: As much as I love hiking, I kind of suck at it. I fell. On my ass. More than once. I especially had problems crossing the streams because of my short legs and my inability to keep my balance on the slippery rocks.

It was definitely worth the slipping and falling for these views though. There were quite a few other hikers out there (who preferred to stay on the trail), but the whole wilderness still felt so calm and peaceful.

We didn't hike too far up the mountain, but it was still pretty cool where we were. Can you just imagine how gorgeous this wilderness would be in the winter...with snow covering the ground and trees?

This picture definitely doesn't do this rock any justice. This is the giant rock that we sat on to eat lunch - bacon, tomato, and egg sandwiches (yum!) We were actually pretty high up and we could see all the hikers on the trail from here.

Here's a picture of the trail that I took from our spot on that giant rock. Lucas and I are so cool for walking off the beaten path. :)

Here is just one of the many mini-waterfalls we saw along the trail. The snow on top of the mountain was melting and the streams were really flowing. All along the trail, there was water seemingly coming out of nowhere.

These are the ruins of the Ice House Lodge that burned down in the 1980s. Doesn't it look like a miniature castle or fort? If I were a little kid, I would LOVE to have this in my backyard.

It's amazing how this place was only about an hour drive from where we live, but it already felt like we had left Southern California. And you know what? This experience made me even more excited for our summer vacation in Big Sur/Monterey next month. Anyway, I hope you're not tired of the nature pictures yet. ♥