Hiking the "Y"

After our adventure on Mt. Timpanogos, Andy and I decided that it was a good idea to stay away from tall mountains for a little while. One night after work we decided to hike the Y. The last time we hiked the Y, we found it to be strenuous. This time around, we found the hike to be quite easy.

When we reached the Y, we sat there for awhile looking out over the valley. I have always enjoyed hiking the Y at night and looking out at the lights below. For me, the Y is a place I like to go to think about life.

On our way home, we stopped at Dairy Queen to get Dilly Bars. Back in August I learned that Andy had never had a Dilly Bar, since then he has been hooked on them. Don't worry though, our rule is that he has to exercise if he wants to have one.

The Aftermath Part 5 of 5

On our way home, we called our families to tell them we were okay. We also stopped to grab some food as it had been awhile since we had eaten.

We got home only to find that our power was out, so much for taking a hot shower. We grabbed our food and drove to our neighbors house (they had power). Unfortunately, they were not home so we waited for them. It was so nice to be able to go somewhere warm.

Later that night we went home, the power was still out and we crawled in bed. The power came back on around 4:00 am. We later learned that a tree in our yard had been hit by lightening during the storm and it caused our power to go out, talk about bad luck.

We woke up the next morning and got ready for church. I looked in the mirror for the first time since our hike to discover that my face and legs were covered in mud. My face was wind burnt and my legs had all kinds of red dots on them, they looked like small sunburns.The red dots were where I had been hit by the hail. The dots later turned into the pretty nasty purple and blue bruises.

My lesson that day for church was titled "Faith In Every Footstep." As you can imagine I shared part of my story with my class.

While we were at church we learned that the wind speeds in the valley when there storm hit were 70 miles an hours. Some parts of town were under 5-7 feet of water and many basements in our neighborhood flooded.

I achieved my goal and feel accomplished. I don't have a desire to climb that mountain again but I know I will have to at some point to overcome my new fear of it. I will never be able to look at the mountain the same again. Every time I drive past the mountain I still look up at it in wonder, but this time I think to myself "I can't believe we were up there and that we survived the 16-18 mile journey."

We feel incredibly blessed to be here today. We are so glad that the Lord spared our lives. We were truly guided every step of the way down that mountain.We learned a lot of lessons on the mountain that day, but the most important lesson we learned that day was how precious and fragile life really is.

The Hike Down Part 4 of 5

We walked for about an hour before coming to the ranger station. We were relieved to see our friend Diana there. She told us that she was in the rocky bowl region when the storm hit and that she got lost several times and almost walked off a cliff. She was glad to have made it to the ranger station and was really worried about us.

She told us that she tried to call some friends, so they could call Search and Rescue but she was not able to dial out. Somehow, one of the people she tried to call managed to call her. She told our other friend (Kirty) that we were on Timp when the storm hit and she didn't know where we were, for all she knew we were dead. Kirty called another friend of ours who does a lot of hiking named Pat and Pat called Search and Rescue.

Another friend of ours, Tony let everyone in our ward at church know that we were lost on the mountain and asked everyone to pray for us. He also asked if anyone knew how to get in contact with our families, thanks to facebook.com our families were notified.

When we reached the ranger station, there were about twenty other people there. As we walked in the door the first group of people (about 10 in number) headed on down the mountain.

There was a mother and daughter in the ranger station and the mother told us that her daughter couldn't walk and asked us to let Search and Rescue know. She also gave us her husbands phone number and asked us to call him as soon as we had service so we could let him know that they were okay-- their entire family had been hiking and ended up separated. The mother and daughter told us they recorded a video of the storm, we will have to try and get a copy of it as the other videos on www.youtube.com don't quite do the storm justice.

There were also two men in the ranger station who had set a tent up over near the lake, they said they planned to stay the night in their tent. Andy suggested they move there tent into the ranger station so that they wouldn't freeze. I imagine their tent was already soaked completely through.

We looked at our group (Me, Andy, Diana, and the 3 BYU students) and tried to decide what to do. We were all wet and really cold. We had a fire place and matches but nothing to burn. We were almost out of water and had a little food left to eat. We decided that it would be best to continue on down the mountain so we didn't freeze that night.

I decided to put pants back on only to discover that the rain and hail had soaked through my backpack and my pants were completely drenched. So much for warm clothes.

Once again, we grabbed our gear and headed out. At this point in our journey we were still 3-4 hours from the trail head. It was still raining outside and the trail was flooded, it was like walking through a creek. As we looked around we could see waterfalls cascading off of the cliff faces that were all around us. On the way up the mountain earlier that morning these waterfalls had not existed.

Part of the trail had been washed out and other sections were covered in rocks and mud (there were a lot of rock slides and mud slides). Each step we took down the mountain was incredibly painful as our joints were stiff from the cold.

Once my phone had service, I called my sister and told her we were okay. I also called that woman's husband and told him where his wife and daughter were and told him about their condition. I think he was relieved that they were alive.

When we were about an hour away from the bottom we ran into Search and Rescue. They took our names and notified base camp. They told us that a second storm was on its way and was supposed to hit in about 45 minutes and instructed us to keep moving.

At this point in our journey, it stated to get dark. Luckily Diana had brought two flash lights so we could see where we were going. We left our headlamps in the car thinking we would be out, well before dark.

Our journey that started before sunrise (6:45 am) came to an end after dark (around 9:00 pm). We were so happy to reach the trail head (aka base camp and the parking lot). We were greeted by the local sheriff and other members of the Search and Rescue Team. They asked us what had happened and took a report. Several members of the Search and Rescue Team told us that they wished they could have seen and experienced what we did--crazy I know. Nobody wants to go through what we did, trust me.

The sheriff asked us if we had seen various individuals on the mountain and we told him no. At this point three individuals were still unaccounted for. When we got in our car to leave two people were still missing.

Waiting Out The Storm Part 3 of 5

We sat under that cliff face freezing and wondering about those three BYU students. Were they okay? Were they sitting in the tin shack? Hopefully they knew better than to stay in that. About twenty minutes later all of our questions were answered as those three BYU students came around the corner.

One of the boys looked at Andy and said, "I have never been happier to see you." He then asked what we should do. Andy told the three of them to sit down and turn off their phones, there was just enough room for the five of us to fit under the ledge of the cliff.

We sat under that cliff face for about forty minutes and watched the storm in awe. I have never heard anything so loud in my life. The thunder sounded like bombs being dropped and echoed as the sound traveled.

As we sat there the three students told us that they were from Montana. The two boys had just come home from missions and they were really good friends. The girl with them was one the boys sisters. None of them had ever climbed Timp before and you could tell that they were not very prepared. One of the boys was wearing a light weight windbreaker jacket and the others were wearing sweatshirts. Their sweatshirts were soaked all the way through.

As we watched the storm going on in front of us we could hardly believe we had made it as far as we had. We were all incredibly scared and said silent prayers that we would live to see the next day. All any of us could really say is, "If the Lord wants us to live, we will survive. If it is our time to go then we will not live to see another day."

As I sat there and watched the storm taking place in front of me, I thought to myself, "I'm supposed to teach Gospel Doctrine tomorrow. I might not be there to teach." That thought made me really sad, I love teaching Gospel Doctrine.

Earlier that morning before we had left I asked Andy to pack an entire box of Access Bars. Andy thought to himself, "Why do we need all of these?" but he put them in his backpack anyways.

As we sat on that mountain in the freezing cold, we all huddled together and shivered. (I don't think I have ever been as cold as I was then). For some reason Andy suddenly remembered the Access Bars in his backpack and he pulled them out and told everyone to eat one. The Access Bars are patented exercise bars that kick your body in to fat burning mode. We had previously read that Olympic swimmers use them to stay warm when they swim in channels. We ate the Access Bars and our shivering started to subside and we started to warm up a little  bit. If you want to try some access bars you can purchase them here. The Mint Chocolate Ice ones are my favorite.

Shortly there after, the clouds started to lift and we could see the ranger station down below. We all looked at each other and Andy said, "Now is our window of opportunity." We grabbed our gear and headed toward the rocky bowl area.

On our way up the trail we had a really hard time navigating through the rocks and we thought crossing though this area that was now covered in 3-4 inches of hail would be very difficult. Luckily, the hail fell in such away that it outlined our path and we were able to navigate it easily. We felt like we had been led by the hand of the Lord.

The Perfect Storm Part 2 of 5

We continued on down the mountain another five minutes or so when we noticed a cloud we had not previously seen. This cloud was white and seemed to be coming out of the mouth of the canyon. Above the white cloud was an ominous black cloud. It looked as if the black cloud was pushing the white cloud out from underneath it. When Andy tells the story he compares it to an Oreo and when you push the two black cookies together the cream comes out. That is essentially what these clouds looked like. The only difference between these clouds and the Oreo cookies is how fast the clouds were moving.

From the time we first saw the cloud to when it reached us it was less than a minute. That cloud was moving so fast it was scary. It looked like something that would have come out of a movie. We tried to run but quickly realized that we could not out run the cloud and it was probably not safe to be running along a cliff.

The cloud came barreling up the mountain and hit us fast and hard. We would guess that the wind was at least 100 miles an hour where we were standing. We were instantly frozen and our visibility was gone, we could not see 10 feet in front of us. Directly in front of us, rocks were tumbling off the cliff face and dirt and smaller rocks were blowing up into the air.

We managed to make our way around the Chimney fairly quickly and were able to put on our windbreaker jackets. It was less windy on this side of the mountain but we still had to help each other put on our jackets or they would have blown away.

About the time we got our jackets on it started to rain and hail really hard. Water instantly started cascading down the rock faces. The hail was about the size of a mans finger nails and it hurt. Each time we got hit it stung really bad.

We decided right then that we needed to get down the Chimney and across the Saddle. Andy led the way and I followed him. Every time he would take a step, I would put my foot where his had been.

About this time, the thunder and lightening started and we were in the lightening cloud. I started to freak out because Andy has been hit my lightening before (that's a story for another day) and so his chances of being hit again are a lot higher. The lightening was all around us and flashed every few seconds. The lightening was both pink and white and would flash horizontally instead of vertically.

We got lost a few times but somehow managed to make it safely down the Chimney and across the Saddle. It is a miracle that we did not walk off a cliff with how fast we were moving, we made it down the Chimney in less time than it took us to go up it.

After we crossed the Saddle we found a cliff face that jutted out about a foot or so. Andy noticed this cliff face on the way up and we decided it would be best to sit under it and wait out the storm.

It All Started A Goal Part 1 of 5

This post is long over due and I know many people have been waiting to hear the story. For those who don't know, my family is very goal oriented and driven. From a young age we were taught how to set goals and achieve them. On occasion, we would have meetings with my father to discuss our progress. To this day I still set goals, strive to achieve them, and evaluate my progress.

As you drive through Utah Valley, one cannot help but notice Mt. Timpanogos standing off on the east side of the valley. Every time I would drive past the mountain, I would look up at in wonder and say to myself, "I am going to climb that mountain one day." At the beginning of the year I set many goals for myself, one of those goals as you may have guessed was to climb Mt. Timpanogos.

We planned to climb Mt. Timpanogos on August 24, 2013 but decided to push the trip back because of the potential for thunderstorms that day. The new date for our hike was scheduled for September 7, 2013.

That morning we woke up quite early, the sun had not yet risen. We packed up our gear, picked up our neighbor Diana, and headed up Provo Canyon to the trail head. We said a prayer and then started hiking, it was about 6:45 am and it was still dark outside.

The hike was beautiful, the weather was great, and the temperature outside was perfect. I started out hiking wearing long pants over my short and took them off shortly after our hike started. We took our time hiking and stopped to eat lunch at Emerald Lake sometime early in the afternoon. From the lake we could see both Park City and Heber, the view was stunning.

Andy.

Andy & I.

Me.

A view from the trail. Park City is in the distance.

Me & Andy.

Andy & Diana taking a breather.

The view from Emerald Lake.

Another view from the lake.

After lunch we took a moment to look inside the old ranger station next to the lake. There was not much to the ranger station- 4 walls, a roof, 2 open windows (there was no glass in them), an open door, two benches and an old fire place. After inspecting the ranger station we headed out on the trail again.

A view of the lake from the ranger station.

Inside the ranger station.

We walked through some meadows before we came to a large rocky bowl. The trail through the bowl is not very distinct. You have to look for a rock with several smaller rocks stacked on top of it and navigate your way from one stack of rocks to the next. On the north side of the bowl is a steep cliff.

After making it though the bowl we climbed some steep trails. As we walked, we walked under cliff faces before reaching the Saddle.

Once we were on the Saddle we could see 360 degrees around us. The view from the Saddle was not as pleasant as the view we had at Emerald Lake. As we looked around we noticed dark clouds all the way around us except for directly above where we were standing. We spoke with some other hikers who had been sitting on the Saddle for awhile and they assured us that the clouds to the west were moving westward out over Utah Lake. The clouds to the south were moving east and hitting Spanish Fork Canyon. The clouds to the east were moving northeast and the clouds to the north were moving northward. The told us that we were about 30 minutes from the top and that we should be able to make it to the top without any problems.

The view from the Saddle looking out over Utah Lake.

The view from the Saddle looking southward toward Spanish Fork.

Another shot of Utah Lake from the Saddle.

And another shot of the lake.

The Saddle, the Chimney, and the summit. (The summit is the point that looks like a pyramid).

The rocky bowl is down below. The shot looks out toward Park City.

The view to the north.

Me on the Saddle.

Diana on the Saddle.

Another shot of Utah Lake.

The last photo we took of Utah Lake.

The three of us (Andy, Diana, and I) talked for a few minutes and decided what we wanted to do. Diana said she was going to turn back because she was tired and Andy and I decided we were going to climb to the top. Diana said she would wait for us at the ranger station and we gave her a time frame for when to expect us. We then headed our separate ways.

As we started hiking again, I quickly noticed that the air was thinner than it had been before. We took a lot of short breaks so I could catch my breath.

We took our time climbing the Chimney to make certain that our footing was sure. This part of the trail is quite scary looking, it looks a lot like shingles on a roof. You have to be careful because there are cliffs on all sides of you.

Shortly thereafter, we made it to the top of the mountain. At the top of the mountain there is a tin shack that is painted white. The shack has open windows and an open door. I signed our names in the registry book and we made a quick video of our accomplishment. I think I put the date down in the book as the 8th, I'm going to say it was because of the lack of oxygen getting to my brain.

About this time we noticed that the clouds were starting to change direction and thought it would be best to start heading back. We said a quick prayer and started down the mountain.

We walked down the trail about five minutes or so before we ran into three BYU students. They asked us how far they were from the top and we told them about ten minutes (it takes longer to get up than it does to get down). They asked us what we thought of the weather and if it was safe to continue hiking. We told them that they clouds were starting to move and told them to use their best judgement.

The Desert Star

One of my favorite places to go for a good time is the Desert Star in Murray, UT. On September 6th we went to see the Hungry Games with Andy's family. It was a spoof off of the Hunger Games and had characters like: Katnip Neverclean (aka Katniss Everdeen), Grimrose Neverclean (aka Primrose Everdeen), Pizza Malarky (aka Peta Mellark), and Donald MacRonald (aka Ronald McDonald).

The show was good and I would recommend seeing it! I would suggest eating something before you go to the Desert Star though because the food there is not very good.