Awesome Family

We had the amazing opportunity to spend a week (in July) in the Adirondacks staying at the Lake Clear lodge (http://www.lodgeonlakeclear.com/). It is an amazing place. The fun started with my Grandmother’s family (Abare) reunion. I believe this tradition was started in the early 1980s after my Great-Grandmother, Nellie died. There was a very bad two weeks in my grandmother’s family when 3 people in the family were buried over an 11 day period. It is my understanding that the family got together and said we have to get together for fun times not just funerals. My grandmother came from a big family so now, multiple generations later, the family reunion is large and a ton of fun. I think there were over 70 people there. My great-grandmother, Nellie, raised all the kids while walking to a from the local one room school house feeding the fire and getting it ready for all the children. The family lived in Gabriels, a suburb of Saranac Lake. So basically it was pretty rural. My great grandfather was not able to walk and I am not sure why. My Uncle Dave said that our family comes from good hard working stock and he is correct! I just think it is amazing that our family continues the family reunion. This year my generation brought along a lot of kids so it was fun to see all the kids playing.
On Saturday of the family reunion my Uncle Dave had the great idea to hike St. Regis Mountain. So the only ones that ended up doing it were uncle Dave, Erik, Jake, my Uncle John, my cousin Pam’s husband Matt and their daughter who is about 8 years old and me. Well it is not an easy hike near the top and in total is 3.3 miles one way. Jake walked some but got a ride most of the way in the backpack that Erik carried. I have no idea how he managed to hike all that way and on a difficult trail with a 30 lbs kid on his back.