Tillly's day out

Tilly was brought outside for a frolic today.

Wow, those hedgehogs can RUN!

20,310’

It’s done.

On May 29, I stood on the highest point in North America.  

My second expedition to Denali was different than the first in several ways but one of the most striking things about this last trip was how familiar that place now feels. I have now cumulatively spent a month and a half of my life on the glaciers and flanks of one amazing and massive mountain. That fact... that I have even had that opportunity...is humbling.  The route that lead me to Denali’s summit was certainly challenging at times and I hope that I am better for having met that challenge.  The entire process of preparing for and taking two expeditions to Alaska is a lot to ponder and digest.  I think that I might have said it best via satellite phone from the summit.  I am grateful.  What a great adventure Denali has been for me. 

It is absolutely worth mentioning that I never would have even pursued this whole crazy thing if it were not for strong support back home.  I owe a lot of thanks and praise to Teresa for doing some very heavy lifting while I have been away.  She has really kept things on track.  Thanks, love. 

Denali 2.0

Approximately one year after my last attempt to summit Denali, I am writing this from a hotel room in Anchorage.  That’s right, we’re going for it again.  Follow along at home at:

https://mountaintrip.com/trip-reports/

Our team is “Denali 2019 - Cook Private WB.”

Pray for good weather and hopefully I’ll be posting pictures of the top of North America some time in early June. 

Teresa’s little friends.

While cleaning out the chicken coop on Wednesday the came a loud squeaking noise when Eric dug into the winter bedding.  We dug a little and found a nest of baby rats, likely 2 days old based on their appearance. So Teresa did what any crazy person would do and brought them into the house and started feeding them.  

We’re now 5 days in and all 7 babies are still alive and growing. If they make it the full 6 weeks we’ll release them back into the wild (far away from any barns).

We've been busy...

One could say that the last two months have been quite the blur here on the farm.  Shortly after acquiring Elton and Prince (the cow formerly known as Freddie), we welcomed our 6 goat kids, then unexpectedly we added a 7th kid to the mix.  Five month old L came to live with us for a little over two weeks until we could reunite him with his family.  We jumped in head first with diapers and sleepless nights.

Never say never to God because on the way out of L's closing meeting, we somehow acquired two more children whom we brought home that very day.  Little 3yo T and 6yo A have been settling in well the past month.  We've managed to regain a good night's sleep, but now our days are packed full of learning to count, singing ABC's, reading, riding bikes, eating more chicken nuggets than one would think was humanly possible and taking playground trips.  

We're convinced that next we're going to somehow end up with a teenager!

By the time we get little C home from Haiti, we'll be well prepared for any shenanigans he may try to pull on us:)

Glamour shots.

Ricky and his daddy, Ned.

Miss Lucy.

Twins!

Lola did it again.  

Teresa went out to the barn mid-afternoon to find Lola with two babies, all cleaned up and ready to go!  They have a little swelling in their ears, likely a mild frostbite from being born with this cold weather, but they're both doing well.  

We haven't named them yet.  We may have a home for the pair and are really hoping to keep them together.