Crazy Mountain

The half dozen mountain ranges seen from our back door exert a power equal and opposite to the force commanded by our children in their efforts to keep us as close to home, (Pretend Home, as Zoey calls it,) as possible.

It's tough for Chris and I because we yearn to get out and explore — kids in the candy store and all that business. So, we've fallen into a sort of routine: each of us gets one day to adventure as we like, then we spend a day together as a family.

Today was my day to go adventuring, and I headed to the Crazy mountains. Turns out 'Crazy' is short for 'Crazy Woman,' which is what I ended up feeling like. It took me an hour's drive just to arrive at the 16 mile dirt road that wound up the mountain, which took another hour to drive. By the time I arrived at the trailhead, I was battle-weary from the rocky dirt road that had potholes 18 inches deep, and suddenly, I felt very isolated. I mean, I had driven 16 miles on a dirt road and passed not one car and was about to embark on a hike where I could guarantee I wouldn't see anyone. Meanwhile, at the post office I'd stopped at in the town of Clyde Park, the headline staring up at me from the local paper was 'Yellowstone Hiker Mauled to Death by Grizzly.' Hmmm.

I had been so excited about the prospect of time up on Crazy mountain, but the reality gave me the willies. I ended up hiking for a good spell, but eventually realized that I was sick of convincing myself that I was enjoying it, so turned around. I seek out the human touch more than I'd like to admit. Next time I face vast, raw, isolated nature like that, I'm bringing a pal. 

Heading up to the Crazy Mountains

The drive home was fantastic. I enjoyed all the signs of civilization I could find. Here are a few of the highlights:

On a totally different subject, if all goes well, tomorrow the last space shuttle will launch. I thought about that a lot while I was hiking. Can you imagine traveling to outer space? Talk about nerves of steel. My little cousin Taryn wanted to be an astronaut, and she had the brains, the moxie and the Air Force academy degree to do it, but at 4"11", not the required height.
Taryn died in a plane crash a few years ago. Whenever I hear about the space shuttle, I think of her. All that energy and power and faith in possibility. Taryn didn't need a booster rocket to be one of the most fantastic forces I ever encountered. I miss her.