Arizona - the rest of the hike!

Horseplay is their middle name! It takes very little to prompt a round of shenanigans and laughter with these guys. And the leader of the pack? Well, let's just say the punks inherited their sense of humor honestly!

As we left the "river" area, some comment led to Than and Collin proving they could hoist their dad, and practice some Scout rescue techniques at the same time...

Of course that segued into "gotta make it real, what if it was a REAL emergency"! Like I said - hams!

Not to be left out, the younger punks wanted in on the fun, seeing who could lift them - good thing laughter doesn't weigh anything, they would have never been able to do it. THEN they decided they could just finish the hike this way...

Real limp bodies there, like sacks of oats...they are nothing if not thorough in their role playing. Comes from all those plays they were in...

Fortunately, they draw the line at getting gramma's feet off the ground. Their mama taught them the hazards of that move...so I was safe laughing on the sidelines, enjoying the fun! I was also the repository for all the water bottles. Kangaroo pouch sweatshirt.

(And can I just say DESERT? That ain't beach sand! And thorny bushes are very rude...)

So off they went - Than and Col made it back to the car. I think Brent lost his load, which was the heftiest (sorry, Lee) thanks to a distraction a little farther up the trail.

Me? I lagged behind to locate a pesky little singing bird flitting and hiding in a big thorn bush.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Had nothing to do with being slow...