End of October Faves

 

WOWZA it's been a crazy, busy week but it's been a great last week of October.  I know I have more than five blessings that God brought into my week but this space is for sharing our five faves.  

Head over to Susanne's blog to learn more about the FFF and join in! 

FIVE FAVES

Murphy Lake in the southern ADK
l-r: Patrick, Jill, Evelyn

• SATURDAY SOULSTEPS HIKE:  Last Saturday was a 7.2 miles hike  up in the southern region of the Adirondacks to 3 different lakes (Bennett, Middle, Murphy).  It was a cold start (34 F) but it warmed up to the low 60s by noon.  I'm thankful we had a great day of hiking and fellowship. 

from l-r: Evelyn, me, Jill H

Middle Lake in the southern ADK 

• POP IN VISIT:  Our youngest daughter popped in for a quick visit after having a "dad-daughter" date with Dave regarding her iphone plan. I didn't expect her to pop in for a chat afterwards so having her do that was a nice surprise.  She also popped in quick on Tuesday evening after work, to pick up  a package and she met the women in my book group.  I'm always thankful when one of my daughters pops in for a visit, even if for a short time. 

Coffee friends: me, Shawna, Maggie

• COFFEE n CONVERSATION:  Tuesday morning was another beautiful day and while I was driving to a fave coffee cafe in the town north of me, I was thanking God for the perfect Autumn weather we've had here in NYS and for my close friends and sisters in Christ. Two of those friends had been wanting to get together so we finally made it happen that morning.  Both of these ladies are in my hiking group and they've been part of my Tuesday evening book group for the last year and a half. We had great conversation getting caught up on our lives and what God is doing in our lives/families. I never want to take these moments for granted. 

• LIBRARY VISIT:  I had a few errands to run on Wednesday afternoon, and a book to return to the library, so instead of just dropping off the book in the outdoor slot, I went in to spend a few minutes browsing.  I found a book I had been wanting to read on the "new books" shelf so took that out. I'm thankful for a nice town library and the time to browse. 

Hurricane Mt firetower 
Hurricane Mt stands at 3694' elevation

• MOUNTAIN CLIMB!  Yesterday, I had scheduled our last big mountain  climb for my group SoulSteps. At the base of the mountain, when we started out, it was about 44 degrees F which is warm for this time of year. As we began to hike, the layers came off and the temps rose to the low 60s.  On the summit, which is almost a high peak (another 306 feet and it would be!), it was in the high 40s with very gusty wind. I didn't take a lot of photos during the climb, as it was my 4th time climbing this beauty of a mountain in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks. No one else in the group, of the 8 who had signed up, had ever climbed it. They all loved it and we had a blast. I'm thankful I was able to do the last scramble without getting on my hands and knees, unlike the last time I tried to climb it in 2024.  I am so very thankful we had a great climb and fellowship and that every one stayed safe.  Here are a few of my fave pics I took:  

Hurricane Mt hikers/SoulSteps
l-r: Ping, Joan, Patrick and his wife Denise, Evelyn, me, Annette, Christianne

me leading the way up to the 2nd cairn
heading to the summit proper 
behind me: Evelyn and Denise 
Hurricane Mt
Photo by Joan 

Giant Mt, Hopkins Mt, and other high peaks
as seen from the summit of Hurricane.
I have hiked Giant (the high point in the middle)
to the left of Giant is Rocky Ridge and to the right is 
The Great Range (I've hiked 2 mountains in that  range) 

from the top of the firetower:  Denise (front)
Evelyn, me, Joan, Ping
Photo by Annette's son Michael 

On the way down the mountain, I wanted to hug
one of my fave trees and Annette snapped the pic
Touching/hugging a tree in the wilderness is very grounding
and centered on God our Creator. 
The Japanese call it Shinrin -Yoku aka Forest Bathing

That wraps up my week!

My husband I are hosting a get together tomorrow afternoon with a Chili and Wine party around our bonfire.  The weather promises to be perfect for this event and I have a lot of prep to do today so hopefully I'll get to comment on some of your own FFF posts.  

Whatever you have planned for this last weekend of October, I hope you find time to rest and re-charge and enjoy the perfect Autumn weather!