From North to South: Whither

Here are the photos from the hike Xela and I took (with Tomba) exactly one week before Xela's passing.

We went out the cabin door and up the side of a mountain to a beautiful hanging valley, called Ram Valley. We hiked right through the cloud cover into bluebird skies. The low-angled, soft light made it perfect for photography.

As any adoring mommy would do, I made Xela sit for a photo shoot. At the time, I think Xela felt it was a little unfair, since Tomba got to run around while she had to obey my every command.

The snow on that Sunday was light, dry and fluffy ... perfect for glacading down. It took the three of us a half hour to get down the mountainside that it took us two hours to climb - well, at least me two hours to climb. Between all the running back and forth, Xela and Tomba probably climbed that mountain five times over.

Back at the cabin, Xela curled up in her chair and took a long snooze. Tiring her out was a major accomplishment for me. She got so used to her daily runs that they became the equivalent of a stroll in the park for her.

Underneath the photos below are the lyrics to "Whither," a song I frequently hum to myself (the first half is from Psalms).

All the photos can be enlarged by double clicking.

Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit

Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence

If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there If I make my bed in hell Behold, Thou art there
If I take the wings of the morning
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea