“Just a short little hike”….

….Thorns, branches, cactus, barbed wire, super steep hills, andddd flip flops.

The morning we were scheduled to head out of San Juan de Limay back to Estelí, some of the kids we had made friends with including Hesarela, los gemelos (“caramelos”), and Noel all invited us to go on a hike up to the wooden cross at the top of one of the hills. I had woken up that morning and gone to breakfast wearing flip flops not remembering that we were going to go hiking.  I went on the hike anyhow.  It was much more than just a short little hike. There was no exact trail either. And flip flops made the venturing even more special, right Maria? But in the end once you reached the top and had made it to the cross, it all was worth it. Breathtaking view. All the homes of our host families were visible from the top of the mountain and the sky seemed to be etch-a-sketching pictures for us as we sat and watched the clouds move.

view of the town below

one of the "caramelos" gemelos sitting atop the cross! for an even more spectacular view

clouds on the move over the landscape. I miss that moment breathing the cleanest air and completely in my own thoughts thinking a lot of my mom and dad both