We needed this

Our little family has been through a rough few weeks. From Bevin's sickness to Cole's sickness and the perpetual fear that one of us would succumb to one of their sicknesses, Keith and I had to cancel a few nights and days that were meant to be just for us.

We were so burned out from working and taking care of the kids all hours of the night for a week that we needed time alone. 

After Thursday's epic snowstorm (READ: at least 2 feet of snow on TOP of a foot that had fallen last week) we were dying to get out and snowshoe. But, for obvious reasons (waiting for kids to get better, terrible road conditions, etc) we had to wait.

On Saturday, we made our way to Minnewaska State Park (after intense deliberations as to where was the BEST spot to go). The Peter's Kill is a stream that runs along the Shawngunk Ridge and is alongside some awesomely diverse trails with some equally awesome views. At first we shared the privilege of blazing trails with another couple who went out with their pitbull, but they turned back early on when their dog started to get too cold. Off we went to do a loop on three different trails all by ourselves. 

We ended up blazing the entire trail together, sharing the privilege of stepping first into fluffy (and sometimes crusty) snow that at some points got as high as 3-4 feet. It was so much fun because we got to work as a team  enjoying the burn, appreciating the quiet and relishing the views. 

There was one point where, on a poorly laid out WHITE BLAZE trail (who paints white blazes on a trail also used in the winter?), I thought we were lost. We were literally walking on top of blueberry patches and couldn't spy a white square on any nearby tree. Fortunately, Keith had the handheld GPS, which he used to determine that we were on trail and, sure enough, a little ways down the blueberry patch, we found the white blaze. 

With a lot of team work and love we proudly finished the loop, knowing we blazed the trail for all those who followed.

You can tell what an amazing adventure we had by the wattage of our smiles in the pictures below...