Spring time fun!

     I know this post is a little out dated as the events happened last weekend but things have been hectic as usual around here this week so I'm a little behind schedule with everything!  I even worked at home most of this week, however mother nature decided it needed to rain all week  so most of our outside projects have all been put on hold.
     So in an effort to take advantage of a sunny day while it was here Kelli and I decided to hike the M on Sunday afternoon.  For those of you who don't already know the M is a concrete formed letter sitting above the University of Montana campus.  There is a trail leading to it that is not only a very good workout but rewards you with some breathtaking views of the five valleys below.  We try to hike it as often as we can simply because it is one of the funnest most gratifying activities there is to do in this town!  What many people don't know is that there are two different routes up to the M, just as you start the trek up the hill there is a fork in the road in which the left option is hardly ever traveled.  There is a reason for this routes loneliness!  From time to time I notice someone taking that path and in the spirit of spring I recommended to Kelli that we take the "scenic" route.  Kelli's been involved in enough of my adventures to know by now that they almost always end in disaster, but I was able to sweet talk her into the idea and we headed up.
     Within the first ten minutes two things had happened, I had realized a huge mistake was made on my part, and my heart rate had increased to hyper speed.  Turning around was not an option now as that seemed like a really easy way to pay for an ambulance ride, so we trudged on.  Needless to say Kelli was not very happy with her adventurous husbands decision making skills at this point.  I felt bad for dragging her into this so I had her go ahead of me, this way if she slips then at least my body will provide a cushion for her on the bottom. About half way up we noticed a sign pointing us towards the M that from our vantage point looked like a cross, I joked with Kelli that it's actually the burial sight of the last guy who conned his wife into taking this trail, she only replied with a slight grin as if she had just heard a great idea!  Finally after what seemed like five miles of vertical cliff climbing we reached the M!  We sat there collecting ourselves for a while, taking in the view.  Just before we headed back down we took a quick photo, then calmly walked back down the normal side of the mountain!

  

     The good news is, were both very happy to be going down the hill, bad news is I still have to figure out how to take a good picture with my new phone, I nearly cropped Kelli right out of this one!  So once we got to the bottom in one piece I swore we would never take another "scenic" route again!  After 34 years of taking this route I am finally starting to learn my lesson, at least I hope so for Kelli's sake!

Remember, the road less traveled is not always as fun as it may seem!