“Secrets, secrets are no fun. Secrets, secrets hurt someone.” While primarily true- this Mother’s Day proved this elementary chant oh so wrong. Let me start by saying Brice is a magical wizard and has a bond with the outdoors that is unmatched by anyone I’ve ever met. I tell him wishes, and he makes them happen.

I wanted to go on a hike over Mother’s Day weekend & re-introduce Blayke to the outdoors. Equipped with the knowledge we learned during our snow outing (such as ALWAYS bring a pacifier and don’t use the phrase ‘just a little farther’ with a baby), I wanted to try no/minimal snow and get a great view all while not having to hike a crazy distance just in case Blayke lost her cool again. Enter Brice’s genius.

He found us the most perfect hike – minimal snow, relatively close to home, and the most incredible view of Mt Rainier you could get without hiking 10 miles. It’s a relatively secret place and in the interest of keeping it sacred, it will remain a secret 😉 Brice carried Blayke in the carrier the whole time & she loved it. Our hike was filled with baby chatter and check-ins with Sharma as he’d run ahead, then double back to make sure we were still coming.

We navigated through minimal snow and stepped on ledges that were a bit steeper than my afraid-of-heights self would have liked to have been on. On the plus side, a fall would have resulted in hitting a lot of trees on the way down so at least there’d be something to try and grab on to! When we reached the summit, we had to pause in silence at the beauty in front of us.

Typically, Brice & I refer to mountains as females for some reason. I’m not sure if it’s because of the whole ‘Mother Nature’ vibe, or if it’s because they model women – strong, majestic, beautiful, powerful, and you never know they are going to kill you. It was fitting that on Mother’s Day weekend we stared at one of our favorites with our new tiny girl who we hope one day grows to be mountain strong. The entire day was so peaceful and joy filled there isn’t really much else to write about it. On the way down, Blayke fell asleep. Our conversation flowed smooth like a river as we listened to tiny snores from our relaxed babe. The only word I can think of to encapsulate the entire day is Bliss. Pure irrefutable bliss.