Miracle on Marion

[bluerail]

congratulations Ellen, very nice !!

[Hikin_Jim]

Thanks to Hikin Jim for bringing Joyc(i)e, she said some of the most precious things ... "I say we go that way"

Ha! Now where would she learn a phrase like that???

Very cute photo; thanks for posting it. It put a big smile on a certain daddy's face.


Wish I had taken more photos but between hustling to keep up with all of you and dodging lightning bolts, I was pretty spent.

HJ

[cynthia23]

What a wonderful TR and photos! Happy happy birthday to you Ellen, and many many more!

[Sally]

Thank you all for posting all those great pictures, but seeing everyone having so much fun without me makes me even sadder that I wasn't there.

Not to worry, though... Ellen is taking me up there really soon, so I can sign the register and get some more pictures. Maybe someone can photo shop me into one of the pics from the party!

[Patrick]

Congrats....and Happy Birthday.

PatrickF,
Yucaipa

PS: A hearty 'Well Done' to the conspirators!

[arocknoid]

Magnificent!

What a great idea; sounds like a marvelous hike with good crew.

Hope to make it to Ellen's eponymous peak-a-jous soon.

Happy Birthday, Ellen!

kind regards,
arocknoid

[Hikin_Jim]

Hi, Wi (did I spell that even close?),

Nice to meet you guys too. Good day on the mountain even if it was raining.

Speaking of mountains, here's another shot of Mt. Saint Ellen's:


HJ

[Ellen]

Howdy All

Thanks everyone -- I'm going to start crying again. I've haven't felt this overwhelmed since your support during and following the 2008 event.



From the heart,
Ellen

[Ardiner]

I was a very late add for the day as I found myself checking out potential training hikes for Mt. Whitney next weekend and found my good friends Nei and Tina set up for a cross country hike to Marion Mtn and to a Rockpile I\\\'d never been to before. There were also a great number of Skyline and San Jacinto Regulars that I\\\'ve crossed paths with including the notable Ellen. Sounded like a great combination so I was all in. It was not until I was at the Carpool Lot in San Diego that I learned Tina could not make it and then Nei informed me that I was in store for a treat as this was no ordinary hike as there were some special plans for celebrating Ellen\\\'s 60th Birthday. Boy was I glad I had decided to do this hike.

When we arrived at the trailhead, Nei sold the story well to Ellen that everyone had bailed and it left the four of us to tackle the mountain on this fine day. We began the hike in good spirits and Marilyn, Ellen, Nei and I took on the mountain together. While the events later on in the day were the highlights, for me the initial hike from the Deer Springs Trailhead to the junction with Marion Mtn Trail was special as I had never had an opportunity to hike in a small group with Ellen and Marylin before and I really enjoyed the opportunity to hear some of their wonderful stories about the mountain and the group. I especially enjoyed the fact that Ellen was obvious completely oblivious to the events to come as she and Marylin laughed at the fun they would have with the many who had chosen not to face the prospects of a little lightening and rain and were missing out on a great day.

Originally the plan had been to carry the surprise all the way to the Rockpile and to meet the group there for a big surprise. However, as fate will often do, the group that left from Marion Trailhead was just a little slower than expected and our group coming from Deer Springs just a little bit faster and we converged at the perfect timing at the junction. I believe that it ended up being even better than was planned as then Ellen was able to share much more of the day with her many friends and shared much more of the mountain together.

I am so glad to have been able to be a part of the celebration and dedication and part of a wonderful day on the mountain. Here is to hoping that we share many more through the years.

Dedication Group Photo


(Added by moderator HJ)
Click to enlarge.


Photos posted on MeetUp

[Ellen]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... 3655a7c098