For the love of his bike

This weekend, the scouts in our area went on an adventurous excursion. Their goal was to bike the entire Erie Canal from Buffalo to Albany. As the deacons' quorum advisor at Church, Trent spends a lot of time with these scouts and was excited to join them on this adventure. Because of my--um, what shall we call it?--delicate condition, the doctor advised that I and Trent not wander too far from home. It almost broke my heart to tell him that he needed to stay home with me (believe me, I am delightful company these days...but that's another story) So, we wrangled and negotiated the schedule until we found a way that Trent could join his boys for at least part of the trip and still be around with me.
To say that Trent loves this kind of stuff is the understatement of the world. I would gladly give money to anyone who can prove that they love spending time exercising in the outdoors as much as Trent does. When this man is outside with a pair of running shoes or even roller blades, a look of sheer happiness descends on his face. Give this same man a mountain bike and he transcends to a place of utter joy. It's actually delightful to see and even more delightful to experience with him firsthand.

Trent's been in heaven for the last couple of days. And another great part about it is that he loves these boys and sets such a great example for them. Most of the boys have never done anything like this before and they loved having someone like Trent to be there with them. In fact, as we were leaving, one young man cried out in protest, "Wait, you're leaving me? Who will be my protector now?"
Aw, Trent: the great protector of 12 year olds, lover of trees and the smell of sage and pine, celebrator of the blue sky and fresh air...I pay homage to you today!

Remember when you 13 and you were a goober?

They biked a total of 140 miles while Trent was with them.

I showed up at the end to enjoy some kabobs.
How I spent my time:

This is NOT posed. You got jealous.
Comments
Also, I am a first-hand witness at the joyful change that comes over Trent when he exercises. I have never seen anything like it before. I think he would choose biking 140 miles over a free trip to Disneyland. That man is living proof of the happy endorphins our bodies produce when we work out. Makes me wanna get my run on.
and trent, seriously, we love you.
Liz, you look so cute, though, with the shishkabob. Sooooo much cuter than I am when I'm pregnant.