the climb...

On the 2nd of January, a climb took place.  This was something put together by several of Luke Gullberg's friends.  They sent out FB invitations to those who were available and willing to brave the less-than-ideal weather.  After I checked with Ben to see what his work schedule looked like (it varies from week to week), I knew that I would have to make the trek without him.  Instead, I hoped and prayed that a few willing souls would take their time getting up the trail.

Enter these lovely folks...

Hooray for the Platters!  :)  They were my saving grace...seriously!

Annie entertained us with her stories about love and life.  She made me smile and kept my mind off of the actual climb.

Abbie was our fearless leader who kept a pace that was suitable for even the slowest of hikers - only because that's what I required.  :)  She could have raced up that mountain and left me behind.

Andrew made it a point to take care of us all - making us laugh on our way up, requiring an update on heart-rates, and feeding us cookies at the top.

Instead of taking pictures at the top (yes, we made it), we opted for a few on the way down.  With the nasty weather and all, it was cold with little visibility at the summit.  So, it made more sense to hold off on our photo shoot.

We had a great time and I loved the challenge.  It might not have been an extremely difficult hike, but it sure  managed to kick my butt.  :)  I'm hoping I can do this again sometime soon...and I would love to bring the Platters along with me (including Stephanie).

Luke would have been proud of us - especially since we contemplated what would happen if we waited for the others to turn around and come down?!?!  We were thinking we could blend-in and pretend that we had reached the summit.  However, Luke would have pushed us to keep going.  So, we did!