MID-OCTOBER IN CHICAGO

Chicago was so pretty this week! It didn't feel like autumn until yesterday, but the leaves are starting to turn anyway. They're all so yellow and tiny. Between submitting job applications, I went on a few long lakefront walks to clear my head. They were so wonderful and just what I needed. Being within a ten minute walk of Lake Michigan might be my favorite thing about where Joe and I live and I have a feeling that these walks are only going to get prettier in the next few weeks

FIVE YEARS!

Today is my and Joe's five year dating anniversary! Five. Years. I realize that we're only in our mid-twenties and that it's not a wedding anniversary, but it makes me feel like we're getting old. Especially now that we live together. Time sure flies when you're having fun though. ;)

We're celebrating five years tonight by eating ice cream and watching It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, and then heading to Mindy's Hot Chocolate for a brunch celebration tomorrow.

Because we're celebrating five years, here's a walk down memory lane with some favorite pictures from the past five years.

YEAR ONE

YEAR TWO

YEAR THREE

YEAR FOUR

YEAR FIVE! 

And here's to five more. ❤

FOUR ADIRONDACK HIGH PEAKS

Hi there and happy Wednesday! I'm here today to share some pictures from the hiking trip I took the weekend before moving to Chicago.

My brother Dan and I had wanted to go hiking, but hadn't gotten around to making plans, so when my friend Mountain Goat reached out about hiking, it seemed like the perfect time to make some plans. In less than a week, the three of us had plans made and were on our way up to the Adirondacks late on a Friday evening. The following morning, we started our twenty mile hike over Mount Marcy (which I've hiked twice before), Haystack (which I hiked once before), as well as Basin, and Saddleback.

The morning was brilliantly sunny with comfortable temperatures. For the first six or seven miles, I was going at a brisk 3.5 mile per hour clip and the guys were moving even faster than me! By the time we got to the base of Marcy, clouds had rolled in and our pace began to slow to something more sustainable to take on the climb.

When we reached the summit of Marcy, we stopped briefly to take in the highest point of New York State before the wind got to be too much, and then continued toward Haystack. After Haystack we stopped for lunch, our legs all getting tired. As much as Mountain Goat and I hated to admit it, we knew were starting to lose the trail legs we worked so hard to build on the Appalachian Trail, just weeks earlier.

After lunch we continued on to Basin and Saddleback. We climbed up Basin to find a foggy summit. Then we made our way up Saddleback. I had been warned that it was one of the steeper climbs in the Adirondacks. I had initially brushed it off since my mom was the one the warning came from, but she was right. Saddleback had one serious ascent! It was a pure rock scramble with few spots to grab, but it was one of those times when harder equaled more fun (or that's how I felt about it anyway!). The three of us made it up to the sightless summit after lots of maneuvering, and then down the slides on the other side of the mountain.

We arrived into camp exhausted around 6:30, had a quick dinner, and all retired to our tents by 7:15. In my day-to-day life I can be such a night owl, but early bedtimes and being in tune with the rhythm of nature and falling asleep when the sun goes down is such a nice change. It's actually one of my favorite parts of hiking.

The following morning we woke up with the sun and only had a quick three mile hike out. Once in town, we gorged ourselves on breakfast at The Noonmark Diner and then were on our way home.

As for my quest to hike all 46 Adirondack High Peaks (those over 4000'), I'm now at 31. Given that I'm now in Chicago, it might be some time before I hike another, although I'm really hoping to try out some winter hiking in the Adirondacks this year, so you never know!