Hikers and Lovers

For weeks, I've been bugging my son Jacob to email these pictures to me from his cell phone. Today he finally took care of it!

11 Jan 2014: Ryan, Shera, and Jacob on the Rim Trail

about 6 hours before Ryan and Shera's wedding.

We are so blessed to live in the beauty of eastern Arizona's White Mountains. About a mile from our home is the Rim Trail, a winding path along the edge of the Mogollon Rim, which is a steep escarpment here along the southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau. Since moving here from Missouri, the Rim Trail has become one of Ryan and Shera's favorite places.

On the morning of their wedding, they decided they wanted to take Shera's visiting sister Christine and cousin Sam to experience the incredible view from the trail, and Jacob joined them.

Ryan, Shera, Christine, and Sam on the Mogollon Rim.

You may notice that I've done a few blog posts about various hikes along the Rim Trail over the years. We really love it there. In fact, many of Sarah's senior pictures were shot there in Spring 2008.

29 Jan 2014: Danielle and Jacob take a break while hiking the Rim Trail.

A few weeks later, two couples headed back to the Rim Trail for a romantic getaway: newlyweds Ryan and Shera, and Jacob with his girlfriend Danielle.

Imagine Jacob's surprise when he invited his gal on the date and he learned that Danielle had never been on an actual hike before! Having grown up in a family whose vacations usually involved camping in a tent, fishing, wading in creeks (sometimes with leeches), campfire cooking, rock climbing, close encounters with critters, and lots of hiking, Jacob had never imagined there were families out there who were less outdoorsy. 

Shera and Danielle pose on a boulder.

Danielle was game, though. I think she would try anything for Jacob, and I hear she ended up having a great nature experience and fun with people who care about each other. What could be better than that?