I had my head in the clouds today

I hiked up Mount Nevis Peak today so I literally had my head in the clouds. I hiked up with Andrew and Lexi, who are my friend Janet's kids. They are 13 and 10 years old. Andrew is a veteran as he has hiked the peak before but it was Lexi's first time. She did a great job and didn't complain until she slid down some slippery rocks on the way down. She scraped her arm all up but was fine considering it could have been much worse circumstances. It is pretty steep up there and today was extremely muddy. From bottom to top. The last time we hiked it was only muddy for a while at the top. But today we were caked with mud and our shoes are really nasty. Our guide, Jim Johnson, is a very interesting character. He has so many stories about people and his family it is always fun to be up or down with him so you can hear him chatter on about stuff. I think he and Uncle Ronnie would get along great. Once we got up near the top it was very foggy. We did not have a view at all and it was actually a bit cold on top. I had goosebumps! It felt so good. Going down the mountain was quite a chore because of the mud which made it really slippery. I used many muscles that don't get used a lot and I run bike and swim a lot! But you are constantly using your upper body to pull yourself up on ropes and roots and also using those muscles on the way down to help ease yourself down. Jim said that on average there is a 44.5% grade but in many places you are climbing vertically. My muscles and joints will be sore tomorrow I can feel it already. So the pictures are one of Lexi and I on a big tree very close to the bottom and then a picture of our entire group which consists of Andrew and Lexi, Me, 4 Mormon Missionaries, a couple from Nebraska and a man from Chicago.