Lots and Lots of Dirt!!! - *updated with pictures!!

*Sorry all the pictures are posted first - it is just too complicated to put them throughout the post. For this reason, I most likely will be switching back to my wordpress account. No positives as of yet but a lot of probables!! :)

On Sunday August 8, we went to my parents house for a inpromptu family dinner. Saturday night my parents called and asked us to go over with the rest of the family for dinner following Katy's baptism. I was so grateful they offered because I had wanted to do a meal but finances had not afforded it!

It was fun to sit and visit with my family for a while. While there my brother told us he was going to their property in the Uintas (East Fork of the Bear area) on Wednesday for the weekend and he asked us if we wanted to join them. OF COURSE we wanted too...we just weren't sure if we could make it all fall together right and have the money to do it!

We talked and arranged and figured it all out and decided we could do it (my parents helped us a bit with the gas). We borrowed Ben's parents 4 wheelers and we headed up in a truck caravan with Bret, my parents and us.

What an amazing few days we had!!! We left on Wednesday August 11. When we got up there and finally got into our beds for the night, we watched bats flying over and swooping down to eat bugs. I LOVED that it was nice enough weather that no rain cover was needed on the tent. The stars were INCREDIBLE! It was so amazing and we had so much fun lying there watching the shooting stars and bats!

The next day Ben and I got up and started breakfast. After we had breakfast finished up, we loaded up all the 4 wheelers and headed off for a fun day of adventure in the Uintas. I suggested we take everything for lunch and have a picnic along the way (since one of my in-laws 4 wheelers has a bunch of holding compartments on the 4-wheeler...carrying the picnic was pretty easy).

As the five (5) 4-wheelers headed out with all 9 of us on them, I knew we were in for an adventure! As we drove down the winding, bumpy dirt road we saw the first adventure - several deer in the field...even some fawns! The kids were ecstatic! We continued on and up, through river beds and incredible forests and landscape!

I think the funnest place along the trail was the bridge we crossed over the wide river (I think it was the East Fork of the Bear). There is just something about water in the mountains and how it cascades down...LOVELY!!

We ended up at Lilly Lake. What an amazing beautiful spot!!! It was 11:30 and you could see huge fish jumping all around the lake. There were lilies growing along the banks and duck families could be found swimming through the lilies. The girls (Katy, Elyse and Addie) were CONVINCED they needed a lily flower to take home. Bret and Ben worked on it for a while and I ended up out on a rotting log in the lake with wet feet fetching the lily flowers!

The girls LOVED watching the fish swim up and stare at them. Seriously - the fish would swim up close to the bank and sit there and watch us like, "What are those creatures and why are they not in this cool, refreshing abyss?"

After spending some time enjoying the lake, we headed back to the river where there was a picnic table. Lunch was fun and the girls LOVED the river and sandy banks. Everyone enjoyed sitting and talking while taking in the beauties around us.

When we got back to camp, we started the dutch oven dinners and loaded up the 4-wheelers with the guns for some target practice. During this time my mom also decided to teach each of the girls how to drive her 4-wheeler! Oh how the girls had soooo much fun. Katy got REALLY good at driving those machines. She almost had the roads memorized and knew where she could gun it and where she needed to lay low on the accelerator. What a smartie pants! I guess we will have to go and get the ATV license for her!!

Dinner was amazing, delicious and fantastic! Bret and Nat did an awesome job. Bedtime came on a lot earlier on Thursday night than it did on Wednesday! I set an alarm to wake me up at 1:00 am so I could watch the meteor shower and I was out! When the alarm went off, I could have sworn I had only been sleeping for 10 minutes..even though I know it was more like 3 1/2 hours!

The next morning I got up and started taking down camp. I rolled up all the sleeping bags and got the mattresses all put away while Natalie cooked breakfast. After breakfast was over, Ben took down the tent and then we headed out to play on the 4-wheelers for a bit. We saw some deer again and then went down to the lodge and I bought each of the girls an otter pop.

After playing some more on the 4-wheelers (including Dustin's little one)...we decided to roast some hot dogs then get headed home. The hot dogs were delicious!!! Each of the kids wanted to ride the little 4 wheeler so Bret put them on a little 4-wheeler path. Katy did ok the first time but the second time she got distracted (something was hurting her leg) and she bent over while still driving and well you guessed it - she crashed!!! She didn't get hurt really...just some scraps but she was scared plenty! I took her back on the 4-wheeler and we checked out her leg. As she told me about her crash, she turned to me with her eyes wide and said, "It was a good thing that tree was there to stop me!" I held back a laugh and smiled and said, "Ya it was a good thing it wasn't a standing tree...just a log!"

Being the mean mom I am, I made her get back on the little 4 wheeler and drive around the circle as I ran next to her. I didn't want to end the trip with her scared of the little 4-wheeler.

After her turn was up, I hoped on Dustin's little bike. After a couple solo go rounds, Lyse and I drove the circle a couple times. Ben hoped on his parents red 4-wheeler and my mom was on her green one with Addie. We played follow the leader in a figure 8 for a couple go rounds.

The kids really did have a blast! It was so hard to finish it up and load the 4-wheelers up. We decided to have Ben drive the trailer down while I drove the girls down on the 4-wheeler 1 last time. The kids were all super sad when it was over and the 4-wheelers were loaded on the trailer!!

Aunt Nat asked Katy if she would come up again and Katy said, "Ya can we make it real soon?". They LOVED it up there. Getting Lyse to eat was nigh impossible because she was just having too much fun playing in the dirt, getting dirty and enjoying the outdoors!

I love camping! I love that we got the opportunity to go up and enjoy a couple days! It was so much fun and honestly it was fairly cheap (my parents helped us with the gas)!!! We filled up the 4 wheelers and truck before heading up and then filled up the 4 wheelers again before returning them (that was $8) and the truck was returned with more gas than it had when we borrowed it. I was amazed that after riding those machines basically NON-stop for 2 days, we only went through $8 in gas!!! Seriously, I was amazed that after the initial purchase of 4-wheelers...they are pretty cheap machines to operate and enjoy!! One day I would LOVE to purchase some of our own!!!!

Today I am a bit sad that summer is almost over. Camping for the summer is most likely over. This next week will be spent getting back into routines since school starts on the 24th (the week after next). While I am excited for summer to be winding down, I am extremely sad!!! It has been an amazing summer filled with adventures in the mountains! I am so grateful we have had these opportunities all summer long!!!!

I also learned something while on this little get-away...I LOVE to hike!! As we were riding 4-wheeler up to Lake Lily I thought a lot about how the scenery was passing by so quickly and I realized that I love to hike trails and spent time enjoying the scenery passing while also getting some exercise! Who would have thought I would actually enjoying hiking more than 4-wheeling in mountainous terrain?!?!

In a land far, far, away...or just up Big Cottonwood Canyon - Hike #7

Last week (August 3-4) was the first time we had the chance and opportunity to camp this summer. However, this was NOT the traditional camping trip you are thinking of. No, that camping trip is coming tonight. The one last week was a "chance of a lifetime", a "goal and milestone reached" type camping trip.

No it wasn't to Africa or the Brazilian Amazon (however those would DEFINITELY be on the list).

This trip was up Big Cottonwood Canyon to the "S" turn.

This trip did NOT involve driving the car to the spot, unloading and setting up camp.

This trip DID involve putting a 50 lb pack on my back and hiking in 3.7 miles.

This trip DID involve hiking up 2880 feet in Elevation.

This trip DID about kill me but was so freaking amazing I can't even believe it.

Last Tuesday we headed out. Ben had a pack and I had a pack. Each of the girls had a small backpack with a couple items. Lyse carried hers and Katy hers for about 10 minutes until Ben ended up with Katy's and Lyse ended up with nothing (she was VERY proud of that).

The hike was a bit ambitious even without the packs. With the girls and packs it took us about 6 hours to hike the 3.7 miles to Lake Blanche.

No that is not anything amazing...it is actually kinda embarrassing it took us so long. We took many rests.

The lake was gorgeous. We got up there in time to make dinner and enjoy the amazing sunset. We made a fire (even though it was outlawed). We were not the first. There was this perfectly flat rock in which a perfect fire pit was NATURALLY made. It was like we were being told it was ok! Yes I know we should have followed the rules but the girls wanted a fire and to roast marshmallows so bad, I decided to just go with it.

The girls made up an imaginary world (well not made up but believed that Terrabithia was over the stream's rock bridge). The girls said over and over again how much they LOVED it up there and how they wanted to stay longer. If we had brought enough food and had been able to notify family waiting and expecting our return, we would have LOVED staying for a second night. I was amazed at how quickly the girls forgot the LONG, HARD hike to get to the beautiful area at the top and around the lake. I tried to forget it but my body just didn't allow it! When we told them we had no other options than to go home the next morning they asked if we could just hike back up next week! Ummm...Maybe next summer?!?! :)

One of the most amazing things - our children and us were the ONLY campers in the area...for miles! It was a true back-country camping expedition! I have always wanted but never had the opportunity to be the only person in the wilderness camping. I LOVED it! Only us and the animals for MILES!

The girls played until it was dark and then roasted some marshmallows. Katy made me the most AMAZING roasted marshmallow ever! It was perfect. She was named the official marshmallow roaster forever! Her dad has taught her well!

As we settled in for the night, we still hadn't gotten out our jackets out. It was still quite warm outside. As we settled into the tent it was actually too warm and I was HOT! How can it be hot when you are up almost 9000 feet in elevation? That was definitely a first for me!!! The night was ANYTHING but a cold night, which is a blessing. I do wish I would have packed less clothes...less to carry!!

During the night an amazing thunderstorm came through. It was amazing and beautiful to hear the thunder crack and roar in the mountainous valley in which we were sleeping. The wind was whipping through the trees but extraordinarily enough it didn't touch our tent. We must have set our tent up in the perfect little spot because it was protected from the whipping winds. I loved listening to the rain as it pelted the top of our tent. It was very therapeutic.

After the storm was over I slept for a bit...well until the wild animal came sniffing around the tent. I laid awake listening to it for a bit and after it left stayed awake a bit longer to just make sure all was well.

The overall experience was unbelievable! I am so grateful that my family and I were able to do this. What an amazing experience and hopefully this will be a fun, memorable experience for my girls as much as it was for Ben and I!!

Our Hikes Part 2

4th Hike of the Season

This was the biggest hike we have hiked to this point. We did it this last Saturday, July 10. It was fun and different because we hiked it with some friends, The Staker Family. It was a TON of fun!The hike we did was once again near Silver Lake up Big Cottonwood Canyon...it was the Lake Mary, Martha and Catherin hike!

This hike was amazing. We started out the morning cleaning the church building then driving up the canyon and meeting the Stakers in the Brighton Ski Resort parking lot. This hike goes up under ski lifts for the first bit. You climb and change elevation over 1100 feetwhile doing this hike and it is WELL worth it! ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! I would have to say it was probably my favorite so far out of all the hikes.

Lyse struggled up the first bit of the mountain but once she knew we needed her to translate the birds she was much better. I wish I had the ability to put in words the awe, amazement and wonder that is beheld going up to and at Lake Mary, Martha and Catherine. Serenity would be one good word but even that isn't enough.

We hiked through fields with flowers and trails still covered in snow. There was mud and streamlets crossing our path. Everything perfect for an outdoor adventure hike. Seriously, I LOVED it!

After hiking to Lake Catherine, we skipped some rocks than sat down near the lake and ate a fun picnic lunch. An ant crawled in Katy's pants and started to bite her so we then spent a few minutes locating and fixing our little ant problem. The entire time I kept saying, "Katy has ants in her pants and it is making her do the boogie dance"...she did NOT appreciate that one. Probably wasn't being the nicest mom but was trying to make her laugh and smile instead of cry.

There was a hill covered in snow that on the way up Ben had promised Lyse he would take her sledding down when we walked back. There was actually a LOT of hills covered in snow but when we reached that one, Ben fulfilled his promised. Katy at first didn't have the desire to go but once she saw Ben and Lyse up there she decided to join them. It did look like a LOT of fun. The blanket they rode down on even survived the sledding trip. Lyse and Katy want to hike there again just so they can go sledding again in July!

The hike down seemed to go so quickly. We did stop at Lake Mary long enough for the kids to throw in some rocks and then we did the "500 feet" detour to Dogg Lake - should say Dogg Swamp.

The hike took us about 4 1/2 hours, it was about 4 miles and as I said earlier you change elevation of over 1100 feet (a lot of it during the first bit). It was an AMAZING hike and a great day with great friends.

This hike you can backpack in and spend the night and you can also hike up to Albion basin and hike over into Little Cottonwood Canyon. To do that would be another mile or so. We are planning on doing that this year as well!


Tonight we did go up Little Cottonwood Canyon to see some Mountain Goats. We didn't see goats but we did however see a bull, cow and calf moose family all together! Now that was an amazing site and something that you don't see every day!!!! No real hiking occurred but we did walk the Quarry Trail at the base of the mountain.



So that is our Journeys up the mountains thus far. I am hoping we can add at least this many more gorgeous hiking trips before the summer is over!