Old Hobbits Die Hard

If you made her stand on my shoulders we still wouldn't be able to reach the ceiling fan in the dinning room to change the light bulb without an extension claw of some sort.

We are little people. Short. One might even say hobbit-like. But, as the post title would suggest we are very sturdy and what we lack in stature, we more than make up for with intestinal fortitude! Never let it be said that we can not finish what we we think we thought we started!! (???)

Heres the thing. Back in our hey-days we were something to behold. We could, while grocery shopping, carry a kid on each hip while dragging the third behind us with a string of black, sticky licorice dug out from between the cracks in the carseat, all while tossing needed food supplies into the only grocery cart that had a wonky wheel! I, myself, can fashion a large leanto or a small combustion engine with toothpicks and chewing gum. But I digress.

So, when Bunny and I took to the hiking trail yesterday, not only did we do so armed with bug repellent, whistles ( you are welcome Bunny) diamond willow walking sticks ( only the best for Besties ) binoculars, zoom lens cameras, a wild flower reference book ( thank you Bunny ), lunches and water bottle,( note that it is not plural), we were also packing a heck of a lot of natural bravado. We had done this simple hiking stuff back in the day with kids in tow, carrying all camping supplies on our own backs while singing Julie Andrew songs and knitting sleeping bags to be used at the evening campfire that we would have brought to flame using our spectacles and the sun!

Let me just say here that when Hobbits age, it isn't pretty.

We opted for the 7.8 mile hike. We could certainly do that with our eyes closed, hopping on one leg and do it in about 2 1/2 hours.

Imagine our surprise when, 5 hours later, we were just arriving back to the park office from whence we started.

The energy, optimism and bravado that had led us to take the first strong steps onto the "red" trail had been abandon for whining and fits of uncontrollable laughter brought on by sheer exhaustion and insufficient water intake. ( The fact that I forgot my water because I was fixated on remembering the afore mentioned diamond willow walking sticks can not be overlooked. However, we would have never made it out alive had we not had those walking sticks to lean our small hobbit-like bodies onto during those last 2 1/2 miles, hydrated or not!)

The fact that we had started our adventure identifying the flora, admiring the view and nature's displays of "art", ( click pic. To enlarge ...it is worth it to see the spider web )

 that we were privy to some sweet moments with some of the woodland's smallest and largest family members, bolstered our spirits when at the end our hips burned, our backs bent, our feet ached, and our parched bodies ( thank you Bunny for sharing your water so bravely), stumbled along the path under the watchful, steely eyes of the turkey vultures.

As we tumbled from the brush at the end of the trail and into the parking lot of the park office, our lips dry, our tongues sticky, and our bladders full we used our walking sticks to straighten ourselves up a bit and then we hobbled as only two proud hobbits can, into the park office to pee and buy a beverage.

You can never keep a good hobbit down! We are strong and it takes a lot to kill us! Old Hobbits Die Hard!

Life goes on...between the cracks!