The most beautiful dunes and we got to the TOP!!!!! Day 1

We love to jump around dunes ..... and so when we saw the Kelso dunes on the way to Palm Springs, we stopped!!  And though the sand mountain did NOT look that far away (see background in picture below), it turned out to be hours for us to hike to the top!!  We really had no idea what we were up against as we left our car (in the shot below!)

 Oh the lighting was amazing to light up my favorite people in such a beautiful spot!!!

 Seriously?  That SKY!  That BOY!!

 Isaac showing his dad a hand trick ....

 Elliot and his shadow ....

 Oh mom and dad, our selfie stick gift from last year has already paid off!

 At times, we were all taking separate paths ....

 My sweet man .....

 Ok so this was the 1st super tough ridge .... Can you see the footprints behind me?  That is a ridge .... that drops on either side ... so to climb to the top, you stay along the ridge, straight up, on loose sand ...

 Yes ... they passed out a bit .... but not for long ....

 Quick picture in the climbing break ....

 Adults are ready to go ... kids are still recovering!! lol

 Nobody complained ... and I think that is what made this day so amazing.  We have been traveling with these boys for 10 years ... and everytime we have taken them hiking, there is much dragging of feet or turning back early....

 Love my necklace that Rachel gave me .... and my comfy shirt that Nicole gave me .... and my sunglasses that sister gave me ....

 Oh the light on this beautiful boy ..... just resting after a climb ... no complaints out of him today ... this was huge .... we weren't sure when we would have to turn back, because we climbed so far, but still the top looked far away!!

 The final ridge!!!  Oh my goodness!!!  Look at Elliot leading the pack!!!!

 Not sure how I got in front, but this is the best ... everyone plodding along .. wanting to get to the top!!

 Look at the light on my children among the shadows!  I remember yelling to Chris "look at our boys!".... it was just the neatest moment ....

 Made it to the top!!  2 guys - one from Portland and one from Vegas had hiked faster than us and were yelling from the top how beautiful it was!! So, Chris looked up at one point, and looked at me (while we were still on the first ridge) and said 'I gotta see!!'....and then Isaac piped up "i'll come!"...so we all kept going and this was the top!  (Portland and Vegas took our picture too!! lol)

 Now comes the BEST part!!!!  Sliding down with no pants!!!

 Running, jumping, sliding .... there was no wrong way!!

 This walk back was brutal ... here is isaacs pants off now!!! Our bare feet were numb and getting beat up from the cold, hard sand.  For someone like me, who has sensitive arches to begin with (even massages make me squirmy), stepping with all my weight to push hard cold sand into my arches, was a huge mind game to keep stepping.  How else could it end?

 We found adventure today .....

 It took us hours to get up and roughly 25 minutes to get down the mountain!  (Not counting the long walk back to the car ... I don't know how long that took ....it was brutal)

 But SO WORTH IT!! Day 1 .... done well!!