It's Sunday. I'm up at 10am, reluctant to roll off these silk cases.

What to do, what to do...

Coffee!

After watering all of the house plants and doing some laundry, I head to my favorite coffee shop in town, Black Owl, to order up the usual -- double shot of espresso + some sort of egg dish. I score a window seat to watch the clouds roll over the mountains as I work on my to-do list.

Check, check, check.

Checklist completely checked. At this point I've transitioned to online shopping and somehow convinced myself to sign up for a GQ subscription. Admittedly I love their design aesthetic and need inspiration so shh - it was only $15. "WTF am I doing, I need to do something that doesn't involve staring at a computer screen"

great friend enters stage left

Me: Hey! What are you doing today?
Friend (Jason): I've got the day off, thinking about a hike.
Me: *Shamelessly dictates the hiking location* Awesome, we should head to Adams Gulch or Greenhorn! Spoiler -- we landed on Greenhorn Gulch.

You get the picture. I manifested a hiking buddy like a boss.

Speaking of pictures: I took this picture 2 years ago today (June 26th). This was shot a few days after my last Greenhorn hiking adventure.

Looking back at these older photos, I saw that I had worn the same New Balance sneakers as I did this time around! (terrible hiking shoe, do not suggest 0/10)

The Collection

Ok, so now that you know how the morning started, please enjoy the following photos. Note that we started the day at around 1:30. Our "simple hike" transformed into a 6 hour adventure.

The above shot was taken about 30 minutes into our hike. We were considering another 45 minutes tops (lol). See the badass peak in the background? That's Mahoney Butte. It looks approachable from afar...that is where we were mistaken. Should have read about the ascent before we started. Psh..who needs books though?

45 minutes later.

We were literally guided to this flower garden by a deer and a number of chipmunks.

Currently 2 hours into our hike. Selfie time?

I remember at this point saying "Wow Jason, we're almost there!" In fact it was another hour to summit. In my New Balance sneakers. Meanwhile Jason was running up the hill like a gazelle.

Closer...

Getting there...

Stunning views

Impromptu rope-free climbing

Catching those snow peak views.

We found this frog

during a rock climbing section (roughly 7,500ft elevation at this point). The flowers following were nearby. Life has an extraordinary ability to survive no matter the conditions.

The summit is at the top right of this photo. Another 10 minutes or so to go!

We have had a number of notable fires in the past few years. I love the contrast of the lush green around the blackened trees.

At the Summit

Finally! My feet were singing with happiness. Time for a well deserved break.
Current time: 4:18pm.

The Descent

We chilled at the top chatting and watching butterflies for another 30 minutes before beginning our journey downward. What you will not see is the rock climbing sections Jason dragged me into. There was a spot in particular that I had to give up on due to not having the reach to get around an obstacle. The fear also started to seep into my bloodstream so there was that, too. Here are a series of photos from our path back to civilaztion.

Thank God.

After 6 hours, we made it back to the man made trail system!

This river could not have come at a better time. My toes had been banging the front of my shoe for a solid 2 hours. I was apprehensive to take them off for fear that they were not a sight to behold. Thankfully, everything was okay.

The final shot of the day

About 3 minutes from the parking lot. I started the day with the intention of doing nothing particularly extreme considering the day prior, I rode about 40 miles around the valley. But the universe totally treated us to something special and unforgettable. We finished with just enough water and energy but an abundance of smiles.

Thank you for viewing :) If you're interested in this hike, check out the following link:
https://www.summitpost.org/mahoney-butte/153947