Our family has been wanting to hike up Clifty Mountain for quite a while. Clifty isn’t as high as some of the mountains just north of us in British Columbia but it is the highest of the ones that ring Bonners Ferry. So even though the weather was calling for about 92 degrees on Sunday, we decided to go ahead and try it.
After church was over, we headed home to pack a quick lunch to eat on the way up. The road to Clifty is quite long, windy, and really bumpy! About 45 minutes up, it took us to the point where we had to park the vehicle and begin the hike.
From the parking spot, you have a 1 1/2 mile hike that is pretty steep. We were wondering how it would go with the littler ones – especially four-year-old Dallas.
And as for the heat . . . we found that it was only about 75 degrees on the mountain – at least in the shade. So we were thankful for that!
As a side note, today is our 18th wedding anniversary. I am truly honored to have this man in my life!
Dallas, Megan, and I slowed the group down by picking bunches of wildflowers along the way. The hike up was just as beautiful as the view from the summit! Isn’t that the way God works? He has put beauty every where we look – too often we are so busy we don’t take the time to look for it. Whether it’s in the valley, the plains, the low spots or the high spots, He has put His handiwork for all to see.
This is called “guy fun”!
Once we got close to the peak, we let the older ones run ahead. Here we are almost to the top of the mountain!
And . . . we made it!
This is looking across Kootenai Valley, our town of Bonners Ferry, and on up into Canada.
I was so proud of my two Littles. They did awesome hiking all the way up!
It feels like you are literally on top of the world.
Remember that last scene in the classic movie, Sound of Music? Since I was usually the tail of the whole caravan, I got to see this scene most of the way up and down the mountain. It made me think of the Von Trapp family and their hike across the Swiss Alps. I can’t say that I was singing my way over it, though . . .
Megan and I left some bouquets as landmarks on our way up. It was like searching for treasures to find them on the way down.
Dallas was a real trooper by making it all the way to the peak on his own two feet – with hardly one word of complaint! I was shocked, honestly.
But by the time we had started down, he asked to be carried in the backpack carrier. So Dad and Derek gave the little man a break and carried him down the mountain.
He rewarded us by letting “Jingle Bells” echo down the mountain trail!
This was such a fun day, even though it was the toughest hike we had ever done with the whole family!
I am reminded over and over that our God is so very good.
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betsythesimplelifeofaqueen says
Oh, I had such a fun time hiking with you today! We have a very good friend who was born and raised in Bonners ferry. Although I’ve lived in Spokane for almost 25 years, I have never been there. On Saturday we took a trip up to Kettle Falls though, and it is beautiful too. You are right. God has left the beauty of His handiwork everywhere for us to see if we only open our eyes to look for it.
Blessings,
Betsy
Kendra says
You are absolutely right!
Linda Newell says
It does look like a beautiful trip.
But I have to ask, how do you keep everyone out of poison ivy type plants and what about snakes?
Linda
Kendra says
Where we live, there is very little poison ivy – so it’s hardly a worry. However, a man at the grocery store said he had been trying to kill a plant for someone he worked with. So perhaps it is around ….but not much. And snakes are not a worry either – we mostly have small, nonpoisonous ones. The things to worry about are grizzly bears or cougars!!