Christmas in Tiger Leaping Gorge

I woke up this morning to a cold shower and a cup of coffee on a deck overlooking 14,000 ft + peaks. Not the normal hum drum for me. Yet, today has an added twinge. It’s Christmas. No jolly red nosed fat men or decorated trees, just some good friends and unbelievable views.

Funny thing is, I don’t feel like I’m missing so much. I am not a Christmas hater. I do believe it has become over commercialized (or maybe it always was) and too much about buy, buy, buy, but I’m a sucker for presents. I still get excited to wake up and tear into a bunch of packages and see what’s mine. Maybe one day I’ll mature enough to enjoy giving more then receiving but that day isn’t here yet. Besides, my Mom makes an awesome Christmas breakfast.

That said, this quiet morning has been perfect. The lodge we are in is a 4 hour hike away from roads and is run by a mother/daughter team that cook everything from scratch, clean and manage all the bills. They insist they didn’t undercharge for the beers last night but Jason and I think otherwise. Still, our efforts to pay our tab are futile. Everyone has decided that the apple pie and the cheesy hash browns will make a great combination. We drink coffee and chat about the days hike as the sun rises over the towing mountains in front of us. This Christmas, I have everything I want.