Once upon a time, I was in my 20s living in Berkeley.  I came to North Lake Tahoe fairly often and hiked many different trails, some with CMB others with my sister, KJ.  Today I brought the kids to my favorite spot then and now, Emerald Bay.

The voyage to the lake was all downhill- we ambled along the trail eating cold pizza, inhaling clean, fragrant air and admiring the multitude of trees.  The four of us moved slowly towards the water collaboratively in search of the best place to stop and take both a break and a dip.  As luck would have it, we easily found a plot of beach with our names on it.  One of us went for a swim, two soaked our feet and one sat on a rock and snapped pictures- there was something for everyone.

I was happy, relaxed and feeling slightly guilty about replacing a 3-mile training run with this excursion.  Until we headed back, uphill  the entire way.  It was hot, my legs sore, my breathing uneven but I kept these discomforts to myself as I managed the kids’ grievances.  I can’t really blame them for for telling it like it was- hard, but I did contemplate scrambling up a tree to escape the noisy feedback.  In the end, once we were done and fed and showered, all complaints were (mostly) forgotten and everyone agreed that sharing this experience was the highlight of our day.