Gettysburg

Big, heavy sigh.  If you're my mother or fiancee and you're a regular subscriber to wainpa.blogspot.com, or Fish out of water, otherwise known as someday I'm going to figure out a better title, then you'll notice that there is a new design to this little bloggy.  Yes, I changed the background color and added additional text to the header.  And it took me an hour and a half.  Yes, an hour and a half.  Don't ask. 

So, we now have a fresher, hipper look to this site, which will hopefully bring in loads of new readers. 

Ha.  

I have a few blogs that I just adore, and they usually have a photography FAQ on their site, explaining how they get their pictures so big and bright in their posts, and so on.  "How do you make those pictures fill the screen?"  "What camera do you use?"  and "How do you get that little gadget there to pop up on your blog?" that's what they ask, over and over again.  But, nobody asks, "How does your header look so freakin amazing, EVERY TIME?".  I can't figure it out.  All I know is, I somehow made a half decent header once (see above) and for now, that's the one I'm stickin with. 

That's probably as good as it's going to get for free anyways. 


Anywho... our weekend.  A glimpse of weekends ahead of us because........K's quitting his job this week! That's right, he gets to be a student for once in his adult life, instead of a full time worker and full time studier.  We are very proud of him and the decisions that he's made, and I'm willing to put in extra time at the nursing homes, arguing over turkey sandwich condiments and avoiding the pinch of little old men. 

This weekend, we were both off and we definitely took advantage of it.  Friday night, we shared an appetizer and a few beers on the waterfront, then went to bed early because we're old now. 

And Saturday....oh Saturday.  Guess what we did.  We went hiking!!!!!!!!!!!  Yes! Hiking!  My favorite outdoor activity which I haven't particpated in since I moved to PA.  It was glorious. 

Before I continue, let me recap our past hiking experience.  In 2007, the summer before I moved to PA, Kevin came out and I planned a huge camping trip.  Complete with day hike, blue cheese burgers for dinner, fried eggs for breakfast, the works.  I planned for weeks, he humored me, and we headed out to Larrabee State Park in Skagit County, WA. The drive was beautiful, the weather was warm, and the hamburgers were pretty good.  Then, it went down hill from there. 

You see, in Washington,  June really isn't summer.  Summer really isn't summer until after the 4th of July, when the weather starts participating and warms up to the point where you feel the need to jump in a lake (and that's a good thing all of you Seattlites who are bitching right now about 90 degree weather).  The weather becomes this golden, sunny warmth that welcomes shorts and tank tops, and shows no sign of the humid, suffocating summers that I've experienced here on the East Coast (seriously, stop complaining.  Again.)  BUT, in June, it's still as cold as hell at night, and you, especially if you're K, wonder whether or not you bypassed summer completely, and have found yourself in November.  

So, he froze at night, is what I'm saying.

And then, I found this map at the rangers station of this trail that led you to a lake and I thought, "Oh, this is perfect!".  And it wasn't.  Because this lake was on the top of a MOUNTAIN and we hiked forever, only to get to a sign that said the lake was another mile ahead of us on our 1.6 mile hike.  We continued and I could just feel my future hikes as a couple becoming fewer and fewer with every step. 

It wasn't pretty, and that's all I'm saying about that.  

So, we've had this dilemma for the last couple of years how to do something that I really want to do while doing something that he really wants to do too.  It's just the fact of our relationship and there's nothing wrong with that: I like hiking like he likes football, and he likes hiking like I like trying to figure out how to make new headers.  Well, not that bad, but you get it. 

Here's the thing though: K likes history like I like hiking and we just so happen to have State Parks devoted to history around these neck of the woods.  That's why, when I said I wanted to go hiking, K suggested we go to Gettysburg.  And I quickly said yes. 

We left the dog behind because this trip could have involved shopping and not just hiking and we weren't sure if dogs were allowed in the park anyways.  I had a little bit of that puppy mommy guilt, but got over it.  She didn't know anyways.  

I was ridiculously happy the entire time.  We drove around the battlefields for awhile, then found a trail to Big Round Top, where the Union held their own on the top of the mountain (hill) while the Confederates charged up. The use of the highgrounds by the Union is the reason for their victory in this battle.  We hiked to the top, which really took about 15 minutes, but it was just enough to give me the hike juice that I needed. 

It was a really beautiful trail.  Quiet, just a few other hikers along the way, and a couple of easy switchbacks.  We were rewarded at the top of our climb with several markers explaining who fought at the top and what took place there. 

The weather was cool enough that jackets were not needed and it felt fine to carry a backpack.  We wore shorts because it is still summer and that weather can sneak up on you.  Still, the leaves are starting to change up there, most likely because of the heat that we've had this summer, but I like to believe it's because Fall is really right around the corner. 

 

I don't care if it isn't really, because I feel like we have a few more summer adventures in us.

The best part of the hike was the lunch that we shared at the top.  We spread out on huge boulders overlooking the canyon (and Maryland, most likely) and ate our sandwiches by ourselves, the only ones at the top for the lunch hour.  It was peaceful and it was romantic, and it was something that we both agreed was worth the hike.

We checked out a few more battlefields after that, before heading in to town, browsing the visitors center, then finally packing back up for the trip home. It was a great day and it showed the both of us that compromise is good and that we can find things that we both equally enjoy. 

When the weather cools, I know that we'll be outside more, exploring and finding more activities that we can enjoy together.  And, hey, maybe Lilly can come too!!