I Like to Hike

A couple of weekends ago, I went on a nice LOOOOONG hike with a few friends (Lisa, Keri and Cameron) through the Tetons by way of Cascade and Teton Canyons.

I've done this hike once before, starting on the Idaho side (near Targhee) and ending on the Jenny Lake side (near Jackson, WY).

Of all the hikes I've done, this one is right at the top. Sure, it's super long (24 miles!) and it takes all day...and although that can be hard on the old knees, IT'S SO WORTH IT! It's so beautiful, and I can't help but feel closer to God when I'm in His beautiful mountains surrounded by His beautiful nature.

Anyway, this time we started over by Jackson and ended in Idaho. It was awesome to see my favorite hike from a different angle. (Note: I like the other way better, but only because the first 11 miles this direction were uphill; also, I wore the wrong shoes, and I could feel every fiber of my socks the last 6 miles or so. Chopping off the soles of my feet felt like a logical thing to do after we finished. Having said that, I still totally loved this hike. It. Was. GORGEOUS.)

Would you like to see some pictures?

Well okay then!

On the Jenny Lake side...the very beginning

LOVELY DAY

It started out cold!

SYRINGA (Idaho state flower)

The crew at Inspiration Point: Keri, Gina, Cameron, Lisa

Opposite Jenny Lake at Inspiration Point...

There were tons of humongous huckleberries along the way!!!

beautiful path...

Fat, fuzzy bumblebee...

OH MY GOODNESS! It was so lovely; I could hardly believe all the flowers! (And it smelled fantastic!)

/you belong among the wildflowers/

Ahhhh, NATURE!!!

There were several waterfalls along the way...

THE TETONS!!!

*funny story...

CRAZY: Once we reached Teton Canyon, it suddenly turned to fall...

Is it any wonder why autumn is my favorite season...?

FALL COLORS!

Hello, Mr. Moose!!!

*On our way down, I stopped to grab some Mike and Ikes from my Camelbak, when SUDDENLY my (borrowed) bear spray fell from my pack from roughly 12 inches above the ground. I thought it was my camera so I went to grab for it, and I was confronted with a nasty red-colored spray that burned my eyes and throat. I ran away quickly, and my friends soon followed suit.
Bear spray is nasty stuff. We all scattered, keeping a distance between ourselves and the spray that was being emitted from the can; we had to wait several (15?) minutes for the leak to diminish enough for Cameron (bless his soul!) to contain it. (We would've felt horrible leaving the open can for other innocent hikers to stumble upon.)
Turns out that I'm actually a little bit terrified to ever have to use bear spray, should the need ever arise. Seems to me like lots could go wrong. The way I see it? I would very likely accidentally spray myself in the face, this rendering me sightless. If this were to happen, I guess the silver lining is that I wouldn't be able to see the bear attack happen. Right?

Anyway. It was a beautiful hike, and I'd love to do it again. Next year, perhaps?

EISF

East Idaho State Fair 2011

Brooker tried on a bright pink cowgirl hat with lights..

And I tried on a hat that was meant for baby girls to wear...

Enjoying dark chocolate-covered strawberries...

Brooke tried the Bulls-eye burger (a hamburger on a glazed donut)

Beth, Brookie, Keri and Brooker had a sword fight with their strawberry kabob skewers...

Going for a self portrait with a5 of us: Brooker, Gina, Brookie, Beth and Keri

We also played EISF Bingo...

...and I WON!!!

 It was a good time. I really like the fair (on an annual basis)...

if i were...

If I were a month, I'd be September...

If I were a day of the week, I'd be Friday...

If I were a time of day, I'd be dusk...

If I were a planet, I'd be Earth (I really like it here)...

If I were an animal, I'd be a mama bear...

If I were a direction, I'd be lost...

If I were a piece of furniture, I'd be a hammock...

If I were a liquid, I'd be a river...

If I were a gemstone, I'd be smoky quartz...

If I were a tree, I'd be a sycamore...

If I were a tool, I'd be a pastry cutter...

If I were a flower, I'd be a cala lily...

If I were a kind of weather, I'd be a crisp fall afternoon...

If I were a musical instrument, I'd be a cello...

If I were a color, I'd be blue-green...

If I were an emotion, I'd be content...

If I were a fruit, I'd be a Brigham City peach...

If I were a sound, I'd be laughter...

If I were an element, I'd be air...

If I were a car, I'd be a Toyota Sequoia...

If I were a food, I'd be homemade bread...

If I were a place, I'd be Edinburgh, Scotland...

If I were a material, I'd be Egyptian cotton...

If I were a taste, I'd be apple pie...

If I were a scent, I'd be mountain wildflowers...

If I were a body part, I'd be hands...

If I were a pair of shoes, I'd be moccasins...

If I were a facial expression, I'd be a smirk....

I Like Union Falls

I went hiking on Labor Day. To Union Falls. With a group of friends.

I've only ever hiked to Union one other time, and that was a little over 4 years ago, so going again sort of felt like the right thing to do...

It was 16 miles of beauty...(except for when I got bitten by the stupid horse flies; those bites are just barely going away!)

The Tetons from a distance (taken with my iPod touch on the ride to the trail head)

Near the beginning of the hike (Melissa, Kari, Brooke, me)

Crossing the river: don't fall, Kari!

Doesn't it look like Jared's walking on water here?

BUBBLES!

Hiya, Tanner!

KERI!!!

The crew in front of Union: Cameron, Kari, me, Brooker, Brookie, Jared, Tanner, Melissa, Keri

We had to cross the river twice...

Oh yeah, real quick (ish?): Crossing the river to head back to the trail head, my hoodie got soaked! (It was fortunate for me that Cameron was nearby so as to catch me before I fell; good one, Cam!) Anyway, it was rather chilly by the time we finished our hike, and putting on a wet hoodie wasn't going to warm me up at all...

Brooker to the rescue! She keeps a hoodie in the back of Maverik (her car) at all times, and she totally let me borrow it. -Kind of funny that her hoodie is my least favorite color of all time: neon green. BUT! Beggars can't be choosers! I totally wore that hoodie and was grateful unto Brooker for saving me from freezing to my death! (Fanks, Brooker!)

I pulled that face special for the picture. (Also, don't judge; I'm wearing not a stitch of makeup...)

GREAT HIKE, BEAUTIFUL DAY, EXCELLENT COMPANY; I ought not wait another four years before hiking Union again...

Big Boy Emmett

Holy moly, Emmett is O.N.E! (Mm-kay, so technically he's one year, one week and four days old; it comes as a surprise to nobody that I'm behind on blogging...)

But I digress...

My little muffin (who technically belongs to Aaron and Amy) entered this world with the most exquisitely kissable cheeks I've ever seen. AND! Because I'm his loving auntie, I've stolen many, MANY opportunities to kiss them, usually planted somewhere between the actual cheek and his neck. (This is where his jowls reside, and they are WONDERFUL to nibble on!)

BEHOLD!

3-day-old Emmett--the first time I clapped eyes on him (and his cheeks!)

 Emmett is a delight, folks.

My little muffin used to sport a furrowed brow on occasion...

Unfurrow thy brow, Emmett! Gina kisses are awesome!

 And his little pouty lip could just break your heart right down the middle...

Awwwww! How can I make it better for you, Emmett?!

But lately (okay, for most of his life)? He rarely scowls or pouts, and his smile could melt the heart of...a snow beast? (I don't know! Think of someone/thing with a really cold heart!)

HEART: MELTED!

 Aaron and Amy threw a nice little shindig to celebrate Emmett and all the joy he brings into our lives...

Jackson on the swing

Two one-year-olds: Kaylee and Emmett

Jane and Uncle Goose

CAKE FACE!!!

Seth was excited to celebrate Emmett's birthday!

 Birthday kisses!

Happy birthday, my sweet big-little Emmett Lamond! I love you!

Hucka-Pickin'

Last Friday, my Papa came up to Idaho to visit...and to pick huckleberries.

Huckleberries. Are. Amazing.

And they are also super tiny, huckleberries are. You can spend hours picking. And picking, and picking, and picking. And you feel quite certain that you ought to have picked, like, 8 gallons, because you've picked your guts out! But in reality, you've picked less. Much, much less. (One huckleberry is roughly 1/4 the size of a blueberry. A small blueberry. UGH!) But it's okay, because huckleberries. are. amazing. (Have I mentioned this before?)

A fellow I work with told me about a place in the wilderness where huckleberries grow thick. It took Dad and I a full hour to find the place, plus to hike a bit...and it was totally worth it! The berries were ridiculous, people! We were surrounded by huckleberries! It was heaven! We picked for 2.5 hours and ended up with 8.5 cups. (Total. But that's a lot! We were very pleased!)

We ended up having lunch in Idaho Falls, and when we got back to the car, my car smelled like huckleberries. And I was in heaven all over again.

Well hello, huckleberries!

Happy Dad!

After 5 hours (combined time) of pick-pick-picking...

STAINED! AND TOTALLY WORTH IT!

Half of our lovely huckleberries: cleaned and drying!

ANYWAY...it was a jolly good time, and now I'm going to bake a few things (very likely huckleberry buckle, and huckleberry muffins) and then horde the last two cups over the course of the next several months. (Dad and I split them halfsies.)

Now I'm off to bed; it's 10:42pm, and I have to get up at 4:20am for a stupendous hike...