Utah, Part 3: Timp Hike

I woke up and went on a mountain bike ride with Kristen on Thursday morning.  I'm terrible at mountain biking, but I've decided there are thrills available for any level of biker.  We biked single track for over an hour, in awe of the gorgeous fall leaves, mountains, and slightly chilly temperatures, and trying hard not to stumble over the occasional boulder.  We raced down hills on the way back, and even threw in a nice up-hill segment to top it off.  I can't believe they have trails like that in their backyard.  It was a top 3 event for me on that trip.

I went solo to visit with Grandma Richards, JaNae, and Aunt Liz (who didn't realize I was named after her).  Brady was still not 100% and needed to put in some time at work, and Kristen graciously helped with the kids.  Thank you!  Grandma and JaNae filled me in on Grandpa's health, picked pears off their fruit trees, and checked out pictures of our house.  

Thursday afternoon, we took the kids to the park and then (groan) prepared for family pictures.  Actually, family pics were relatively painless, although it did mean missing the first quarter of the BYU game.  Thanks to Kristen for taking them with her fancy camera and skills.

Friday was Mt. Timp!  Our friends Aaron and Julie suggested we come hike mountains with them in Washington over the summer.  With the house going full-swing it was impossible, but ever since the idea was planted, I've been anxious to climb a mountain.  As soon as this trip planning started, I begged family to go with us, and they turned out in droves!  Karen and Ryan, Scott, Angela, Cory and Kristen all made the trek with us--all five of the Edwards siblings reunited!  We were lucky all around--Timp had snow on it the week before (and several days after the hike), Scott had a hurt toe, Cory had meetings and Ang returned from Spain only days before.  We even ran into a babysitter hiccup, but Kristen managed to resolve that issue, too, and just in time.

We made it to the trailhead almost an hour late.  Sorry, Ang, Scott, Ryan and Karen.  Ugh.  At least you got to see a porcupine?  I will make this up to you someday.

My second favorite picture from the hike (stay tuned for #1, suspense!):

On the way up, we gasped at the fall leaves, talked logistics of evolution, heard about Spain, and caught up a bit on the day-to-days of each other's lives.  It's crazy how much you miss out on when you are an ocean away.

I think these pictures are gorgeous, but it's impossible to describe how much better it was in person.

We took a girls shot at the first waterfall, and planned to take a boys shot at the next, but the rest were dried up.  Sorry, boys.

Brady and I hiked Mt. Timpanogos twelve years ago with college friends Brooke and Christian.  We've cited this hike as an 18 miler, but there is no way it was longer than 14.  Kristen's book says 12.  Who cares?  It had nice elevation gains (about a mile overall) and sweeping views.

 A mossy wall:

The peak in the distance:

We ate lunch with mountain goats at Emerald Lake, and Ryan and Cory drank the freezing cold water straight from the source with a Lifestraw.

A sibling pic, bound to make Mom Edwards cry:

Ryan, Karen, and Scott held back to work on some jumping shots.  Ha!

 Then came the part where we all got a little foolish.  I always say I won't do anything that might threaten my life, and I still hold to that.  But this little cliffside maneuver over snow and ice was a little too close to my safety standard for me to say it was a good idea.  I'm glad we made it over the small, scary segment and made it to the top, but I would not do it again.

 The not-so-scenic section of the hike:

 We made it!  It was not as difficult to get up as I remember from many years ago, but it was still as breathtaking and gorgeous at the top.

 Yeah, baby: 11,752' elevation.

 Overlooking Utah county:

Here she is--the best shot from the trip:

In the shed, we read in the log book that Bob Woosley, age 71, had summited the mountain for the 674 time earlier in the day.  While we took pictures and gazed at the views, an older man came jetting up the mountain, and it turned out to be Bob!  He got friendly with the girls, and explained that over 500 of his record-setting hikes were after he turned 50.  He hikes so he can inspire others to be active.  "If this old man can do it, so can you!"

He was a mountain goat, and easily beat us back despite our decision to jog the last couple miles down the trail.

Good job, Bob!

At the summit, Ang got in touch with Paul for a ride to the cars so we could hike down the Timpooneke way and avoid the dangerous icy cliff on the Aspen side.  Lucky!  It added to our total trip time, but gave us the opportunity to do the hike with a new vantage point.   We were also lucky that Paul does not get irritated easily and was therefore not get upset about waiting at a different point for us to return.  It was lucky again that Kristen recognized a soccer coach at the trail's end that got a few of us to Paul's car.

I would rather hike than anything else in the world.  Add in people you love, and it's unforgettable.

Thank you, Edwards siblings, for taking time from your busy lives and spending this unforgettable day with us.