Nothing is Impossible!

It was just one of those days.

The neighbor kids were off from school and the temperatures were insanely warm for February.

Our texts back and forth from the house on the ridge to the one in the hollow were all about "Let's go for a Hike!" Morris was welcome to come along.  We packed snacks and water.

And off we went. Morris walked on a leash until we got down the road just a bit.

Who knew a corn field could be so interesting?
One can whip corn stalks like ninja swords and throw corn cobs high into the sky. There was plenty of mud to explore and we had just begun the journey.

To the right is the real driveway and to the left of the kid picnic table is where the neighbor who lives on the ridge has been driving to avoid ice/snow/mud.
With the quick melt and thaw, I was pretty sure that the days of getting back to his place was going to get very interesting.

We made it to the old ridge road which is used in the winter by snowmobiles and during the rest of the year by those folks who drive a 4 wheeler or take a 4 wheel drive truck to the 'camp ground' on the bottom.

The snow was still present on the north hillsides but was gone on all of the south facing hillsides.

Morris kept tabs on the kids. Lauren, my night time hiking pal and I enjoyed the view and the shouts from the kids each time they discovered something interesting.

By this time the kids had shed their sweatshirts. How odd to see kids walking on ice and snow with short sleeves! But it was warm, the sun was strong, and there was no wind.
Just a few short weeks ago Lauren and the Kenosha gang and I had taken a chilly night hike right through here.

No ice formations at the culvert this warm day. Just rushing water.

And then we turned the corner through the dead golden rod plants and...

there was the creek...

And the fun ensued. One might have thought the kids were having summer fun at the beach on February 17th?

Everyone enjoyed it.

As we got towards the shadier part of the creek, and the slight air movement that came down from the snowy northern hillsides, the air got colder.

The sweatshirts went back on and the kids we headed towards the trail that went back towards my house.

Since the flood had washed out the ridge road, we now had to climb a steep bank and follow a deer trail to get back up on the ridge road.
I'd brought a rope to help out.

The hillside was covered in slick ice.

We nicknamed it "The Elevator".

Allie looked at it and proclaimed it to be Impossible!

Carson looked at it and muttered, "Nothing is Impossible!"
He grabbed the rope and climbed up the slick hillside.

And up he scampered.

Indeed.
Nothing is Impossible, if you set your mind to it.