Mt. Pisgah

This was not a 6 mile hike by design!  I just wanted to climb a small mountain to take in the view and test our stamina.  So we decided to head to Mt. Pisgah just outside of Eugene.







It was a beautiful hike up and there were lots of people to help us stay motivated on the hill.







Of course, we took lots of breaks for "sunbathing" and "deep breathes" as well as water and snacks.







It was fun to see the old orchard like trees and farms of Eugene below.  The sky was especially amazing.







When we got to the top, I had to show off my pregnant belly a little since it is more of a challenge to climb mountains while pregnant :-).







We took our time eating a hot lunch while other folks drooled at the smells and a dog tried to steal some.







We spent quite a bit of time soaking in the view from the top.







When we were finally ready to head back down we chose a different route- to head down the other side of the mountain and make a loop with the wildlife refuge below.







It was a bit steeper, more adventurous way down the mountain on the far side.







When we got to the bottom, we made some wrong turns and ended up quite lost.  We did have the river as a landmark but ended up doing a bit of bushwhacking and hiking a long way to get back to the wildlife refuge and parking lot.







We enjoyed the mud, the wildflowers, and the river views from the bottom but all of our endurance was tested by the steep climb followed by lost meandering for a total of six miles, which I believe is a new record for Amy, especially with such a climb involved!







She was a trooper, even though she was quite tired.  We finally got to our original intended destination, a pond with lily pads.  Sarah joked that this was the farthest she'd ever hiked to see lily pads.







It was a beautiful day and I was proud of all of us for our endurance.  We were a bit disappointed that we were unable to find the Next Adventure in Eugene, which has either moved or closed, but we had our chocolate ice cream and a long, sleepy drive home.