Timpanogos

This fall I would really like to hike a peak a week like I did last fall. The trick is finding people to hike with. Cyndee and I wanted to try to hike Kings Peak again and were planning on going this weekend but the weather was showing thunderstorms so we decided not to go. It was a bummer but we did another peak close to home. Cyndee has never hiked Timpanogos and I hadn't been up there this year so we decided to spend Saturday hiking Timp.

We hiked it differently than I ever have and it was good. We left my house after 7am (late for a Timp hike), stopped at the store and took our tuime getting to the trailhead. Unfortunately there was no parking at the trailhead and we had to park almost a mile away. That was SUPER annoying but I wasn't really tired so it was fine. I thought maybe the peak season was over after Labor Day. I was wrong. There were so many people on the mountain. We started hiking close to 9am I think. The weather was great all day and I say so many people I knew. Like so many people. That was actually really fun. I saw former students, parents of current students, people I play sports with. It was soooo crazy. The mountain was very crowded but it wasn't annoying like it is some years.

Catching our breath at the saddle.

 Then there is that moment when you walk between two points and get a clear view of the shack!!!! You know you are almost there.

 It always feels so good to make it to the top. The views are amazing! Trying to get a selfie with my dog. It is so funny how many people are so impressed that Moki can hike so far. It is funny because I am pretty sure she could do twice the distance without much trouble. The dog is an amazing hiker.

 She is not amazing at pictures.

Even with bribery!

Gotta get a good pictue with the shack.

 It was really cool while we were on top we watched an 80 year old lady summit with a bunch of her family. We all cheered for her when she made it. It was so cool. What an accomplishment.

 The flowers at the lower part of the hike were already dead but once we got to the meadow they were amazing.

 It was a great day on the mountain. I wish I had taken a picture with everyone I saw that I knew. . . next time.

Moki and I are both pretty tired today. We definitely needed the day of rest we observed this sabbath.

Red Castle Lakes

I love having a list of places I want to visit. The list is pretty long but I don't feel pressure to cross stuff off fast. The cool thing is that I live in Utah and there are so many amazing things to do right here. I love it! Last year when I was googling places to hike in the Uintas I came across pictures of Red Castle Lake and knew I had to put it on my list. This year for Labor Day weekend I was able to make it happen. I started the weekend by biking 51 miles on Saturday. That wiped me out for the rest of the day. Then I went to church Sunday morning and then left and headed to The China Meadows trailhead. It is a little over three hours from my house. Once we hit the dirt road I rolled down the windows and let Moki do her dog thing:)

Moki and I needed to backpack in 10 miles to Red Castle Lake for the night. It is a pretty gradual trail, you only gain 1400 ft in 10 miles. We were able to hike quite fast. Despite the heat it was very enjoyable. This was also my first ever solo backpacking trip. I knew the trail was well used so I didn't worry too much. I felt safe the entire time. It is so popular I honestly never even felt alone.

Selfie at the start of the hike.

I kept Moki on the leash because I knew it would be crowded. I am glad I did. There were tons of dogs and horses. So many dogs though. Almost everyone hiking had one. That is awesome but also a little crazy.

The views were pleasant and we made great time on the way into Red Castle Lake. We stopped a couple times so I could get water and snack but that was it. I would occasionally let Moki off to run down to the river and get a drink. There was water the entire hike which was great!

One of our breaks was at mile 8 right before the switchbacks. It was a beautiful evening. So I took some pictures.

 My new backpacking philosophy: wear a bear shirt so you won't see any bears. Worked great this trip!

After the switchbacks we started to get views of Red Castle. The sun was also starting to set so it was a gorgeous evening.

There were only a couple of signs the entire trip.

Moki and I found a nice place in the trees to camp. I forgot how cold it can get at night. i was so sweaty when I got to camp that I started to cool off really fast. I should have changed out of my sweaty clothes ASAP but I didn't. OOPS! I threw on a jacket, set up my tent, and ate. I was starving.

You can see the sun glowing on Red Castle in the background.

I was pretty tired and cold so after dinner I brushed my teeth and put away my food and headed to the tent. It was also getting dark. Moki always thinks she gets my bed, she never learns . . .

I forgot to bring a beenie. I tried to use my Buff but it wasn't really effective once I was in my sleeping bag.

I started the night off so cold but after a couple hours in my sleeping bag my body temperature rose and I was actually warm. Then I suffered through the most miserable night camping ever. Around 11pm Moki needed to go out of the tent. She had slept as soon as we got in so I figured she just needed to pee. Oh no she was sick. She had diarrhea and throwing up all night. I think at some point she ate some human feces . . . . . sickest thing ever, but it is a thing she does. It always makes her sick but she can't resist. How do I know it was human feces you ask, oh because she was throwing up poop. Yes that is a real thing. Soooooo I kept the leash on her and every 30 minutes she wanted out to try to poop. It was the LONGEST night ever. I seriously wanted to kill her, even though it wasn't really her fault. Also during the night when she was out I noticed she had some hair missing on her underarm. Her little pack had been rubbing while we hiked and she had a pretty good size bald spot. Luckily it didn't break the skin, but seriously I felt awful. Finally around 4am she started to sleep uninterrupted and so did I. In the morning when she wanted out I tied her to a tree. She sat on guard protecting me from squirrels:)

 Originally I had hoped to hike up to Red Castle Lake in the morning. We were camping at the lower lake. In the end I decided not to. I slept longer than normal because of the rough night and I wanted to make sure I was hiking out with people in case I injured myself. My legs and hips were also pretty sore. This was my first backpacking trip of the year. So we ate breakfast, packed up camp, and headed back to the car.

It was a beautiful morning!

 It was another very hot day and I was feeling very slow on the trail. The first two miles were painful. Mainly because I was sore and tired. Finally I found my rhythm and was able to speed up and hike at a better pace.

 Since Moki had a sore on her arm guess who carried out her pack . . . . yup, me!

 In he end my hiking time was the same for both days, however I took two more breaks on the way out. I decided mentally it is more tough to backpack on your own. It is easier when you are with someone who is pushing you, especially when you are feeling a little pain. Overall it was a great trip. I am really glad I did it. If I ever do it again I want to take two nights so that I can explore the area more. I think I would also camp at mile 8. It is just less time with a heavy pack and then on your rest day you can do the steep part of the hike without all the gear. I always learn things when I adventure. I wanted to kill my dog on this trip but I still love her. She really has been the best hiking companion!

School Started

My first day of school selfie!!!!! Back at it for year 15. I am so excited about my schedule this year. I am teaching a lot of co-ed classes and I think it will be so good to have kids that want to be in PE. Already I have been loving it!!!!

Also I was so proud of one of my 7th grade classes. Most of them brought water bottles they were all over!!!! Good job kids.

The weather has still been so hot! I cannot wait for 70 degree weather. I am so tired everyday after school. Between teaching and cross country I am outside for a very long time on some days. This week the weather is looking like it will be cooler and I am so excited.

Finishing up Summer

 Andrew sang I am A Child of God in Sacrament Meeting. i was able to go. He did amazing!!!! I was super distracted the rest of the meeting by this adorable little girl.

 Amanda made her little dress and it is the cutest. I love her sooooo much!

Amanda had a meeting one morning and so I watched the kids for her. We biked and played hard. It has been so hot in Utah so we had to rest at the pavilion.

When she got home Dan came over and we all swam for a very long time. It was a fun day.

One Sunday at Dan's I was holding this cutie while playing cards. I was distracting her with my phone.

 She is adorable. I love this little outfit on her.

Hannah, Moki and I hiked up to Silver Lake. It was very hot but the water was so refreshing. Moki was in heaven!

The water was so beautiful!!!!!!!

Moki and I walked on the shoreline some evenings. Usually when I spent the day playing basketball or biking and she still needed exercise. It is so close to where I live and she loves it.

Paddleboarding

In August I enjoyed taking out the paddleboards a few times. It is so fun with Sam and Amanda's kids because they love it. They also love the water so it makes for a great activity. August was pretty hot and I appreciated any excuse to get in the water and cool off.

One morning we met up and went to High;and Glenn Park/Pond. Jana and her kids came too. It was so fun. The pond is perfect for the kids and there was a fun little dock they could jump off. The water was also warm and so we could play in it the entire time. It was such a fun day!

I was so impressed that Andrew and Emerson jumped off the dock with al the other kids. And then they all jumped on repeat for such a long time. So fun.

I love watching these kids and could do it all day long. I love the splash pictures as much as the jumping pictures.

Little sister watched with me as the boys jumped on repeat. She enjoyed some water time once they finished on the dock!

One Monday evening Anthony and I were heading up to Tibble Fork to paddle board. We decided to invite Sam and Amanda as well. We thought they probably would not come, but they did! It was such a fun evening. The water was still soooooo cold at Tibble Fork but it is such a beautiful backdrop. We played until dark and had a great time.

I am trying to get Moki more comfortable on the paddleboards. She is getting better but she is not great yet.

Amanda actually got a turn by herself. That is a very very rare occasion with three little kids around.

A singles ward was playing nearby and they gave the kids a turn on this water trampoline. This pose by Sam is SOOOOOOOO my dad. There are pictures that exist of my dad doing this exact pose. So funny.

The evening was so nice!

The kids had fun despite Audreys stink face!

I am glad we were able to get the paddleboards out a couple more times before school started.