Hiking with Cody

This weekend I thought I'd absolutely go crazy if I couldn't go for a hike. It had been 2 weeks since I smelled fresh air, heard waterfalls and stretched my legs. The rain. It would never stop. Haven't been able to attempt another summit on Mt. hood, haven't been able to go for walks. Hey, I have a phobia of worms and they are out on the sidewalks in full force when it rains. Anyway, it stopped raining this weekend for a bit. Sunday night, after 6 PM, Cody said "Want to go to Multnomah Falls?" because he was bored as well. Well, I heard "Want to go do Multnomah Falls?" Ha ha. I jumped all over that. Yeah, I've seen Multnomah Falls 100 times, if not more, but I haven't taken Cody up the Larch Mountain trail before and so, I figured we could head up that way. I realize it was night time when we made the decision to go, but I'm always up for an adventure.

The drive up there was funny, when Cody and I realized we weren't on the same page. There was a look of fear all over Cody's face. Like, he had no idea what he was in for. At the base of the falls is when Cody shared that he said "go to" not "go do." I convinced him we'd just go a little ways. Right around switchback 3 of 11 Cody was done already but I pushed him onward. Now, at the top of Multnomah Falls, about 1.25 miles, you can go right to the look out, or you can go left. We went left. Maybe up another half mile Cody started whining. It was about 7 or 7:15 pm. We seen another waterfall and it was just amazing. I told Cody to imagine how so many of his friends had never seen that waterfall. Here is what he said. Get a highlighter pen. You ready?

"Yeah because all my friends are lazy." He paused a moment then continued...."and all their parents are too lazy to ever take them anywhere."

At that moment, I gulped. Do you want to know why? For 15 years I was one of those parents! I was content to let my kids watch movies and play video games all day. Since Take Shape For Life has helped me beat the odds and get lasting results, I've been taking my kids places. Not expensive places, not Disney Land. I've been taking them hiking, mountain climbing, tide pool exploring, rock hunting!

I really hope, that if you are the parents of one of my sons friends, that you'd consider changing for your kids. I'm not saying you aren't a good parent, that you don't provide, love and nurture your kids. God knows nobody cares/cared more about my kids than I did/do, but I just didn't have the energy to do anything. You can change your life today. Call me and I will tell you how this all works, why the Take Shape For Life approach is so revolutionary and how you can beat the odds.

About the picture: You cannot tell because Cody is a bad photographer but this log really jets out far above the fast moving water just above multnomah falls. People thought I was crazy going out on that thing. Maybe I am. I actually had to get down on all fours and scootch back off the thing because I was too scared to pivot. I think if he'd stepped to the left you could see a little better exactly how far out I was. Also of note: I was wearing a fanny pack and hunched over a little bit because I felt the log moving. Don't judge the photo. :)

The end of the story is that Cody and I hiked a total of about 4.5 miles that night. We got back to the car around 8:45, just before sunset. We seen about 4 more waterfalls and Cody made a profound statement about creation that floored me. It was worth it. I was freezing cold, tired and hungry when we got back, but it was worth it. Thanks for 'doing' Multnomah Falls with me Code. Love you.