Sunday, December 12, 2010

Christmas Tree Hunting 2010

Christmas Tree Hunting is an epic celebration among our friends.  The tradition began about four years ago, when several of us loaded up the dogs, our snowshoes, Peppermint Schnapps & hot cocoa, and headed up the mountain to find the perfect tree.  Except for one year, we've participated in Christmas Tree Hunting every year - this year was no different.

Last weekend, ten friends and four dogs (only four!) piled into three trucks & spent a good portion of the afternoon having a great time on the mountain.  Only three households were hunting trees but we have so much fun that even those not looking for trees tag along.  We couldn't have asked for better weather - we left a very cloudy & foggy Sheridan, breaking through the fog as we climbed the switchbacks & entered a world of sun, no wind, & mid-20's.  Our backpacks were filled with drink of choice - Coors heavy (pronounced "Kurrs"), Busch Light, buttershots & hot apple cider, peppermint schnapps...  Oh yeah, we also remembered to fill our Camelbaks with water.  :)  We spent the afternoon romping around the trails, laughing, enjoying the beautiful day, & overall madness & mayhem on the mountain.

We capped off the day by having everyone over at our house for elk roast & Italian cream cake...a perfect ending to a perfect day.


She loves snow

Part of the group headed up the trail

Like, really loves snow
One of our many stops

A pup & his bestest buddy

Really REALLY loves snow

WE'RE SO HAPPY!

Curtis, on the left, swears his tree didn't look that big when he cut it down.  Good thing we weren't stopped by tree police - pretty sure he broke the limit of 10 feet.  Georgia, are you pretending to pee on your tree like all our dogs did at one point?

Guinness was tired & ready to go home.

Steven!

The blanket of white fog (Sheridan lies beneath that - the fog is well over halfway up the mountain)

Close up of the fog that we left on our way up & entered on our way down.  It was neat to see it creeping into these draws.

Final product decorated!  It's not the perfect Griswald tree, but it cost us $12 and an afternoon of fun with friends...can't beat that.

Love.

6 comments:

  1. Looks like a fun day. Gidget is too funny, she must really need some estrogen.
    -Linda

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, that looks like so much fun! I’m a tree-hunting newbie; last year was the fist time we did it and it was a blast, charlie brown tree and all. We’re heading to a new area this weekend so hopefully it’ll be just as great. Plus, you can’t beat the price!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yay for outdoor hiking and cutting! The snow here is still pretty iffy so we are looking forward to the coming cold to tempt us more before heading to the mountains. For now I just walk around our house dressed in snow gear with a 'bur' in my hand pretending to be snow shoeing/skiing. Definitely a good time:)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great pictures and wonderful story. Best of all, us knowing you guys are happy and enjoying life! Love Papa

    ReplyDelete
  5. No wonder everyone goes along for the ride! Buttershots & hot apple cider? peppermint schnapps? Italian Cream Cake? Adorable dogs? Great company? Yes please. :) Maybe one of these days we can go with!

    I love that picture of Sheridan under the fog bank and Gidgie playing in the snow - I can totally envision her 'burrowing in' and biting at the snow drifts! I also love the fact that your darling Christmas tree is stationed next to (1) a ballerina picture and (2)elk (?) antlers! It's the perfect representation of your family!

    Aurelia has knocked down half of the ornaments on our tree at least twice ;) Do the dogs do a pretty good job of leaving the tree alone?

    -- linds

    ReplyDelete
  6. Haha, mom, I think you may be the only one that understands the need for estrogen. When I read your comment, I thought to myself "what is she talking about??" It took me a few minutes. :)

    Linds - Yep, that's an elk. Good work! Haha, we like the stark contrast of elk vs. ballerina & kitty. We also joke that the elk is fighting the tree. Amazingly, the dogs leave the tree alone! (Knock on wood now that I say that...) It's tucked in the corner & the TV stand is kind of blocking one side too, so it keeps them away. The worst part? Their wagging tails. No ornaments on the bottom 2 feet of the tree. :) We would LOVE to go tree hunting with ya'll...one of these years we'll make it happen.

    Bud - Good thing the neighbors haven't called the cops on you walking around in your snow gear... :)

    Sonja- Have fun! Tree hunting is not only fun when you find the tree, it's making the holiday memories. :)

    Papa- We have a wonderful life...and we're always thankful for it!

    ReplyDelete