82 degree Arizona

I had some time off because I wasn't teaching the week of Thanksgiving so we loaded up and headed to Tucson on a ROAD TRIP!! to visit Adrianne's sister and family. With stops at Kanab and the Grand Canyon we headed to Tucson. It was nice to be back to 80 degree temps and full-time shorts again. Tanner kept complaining that it was too hot. We all got to experience being on an Air Force base (Christian enlisted awhile back). We shopped at the Commissary - great prices. The barrell (Sanguro) cacti were cool - I don't remember ever seeing one before. We then hit a wild west town and gun show - Jake was the hit as he beat the roper at hit own game. We didn't get to watch the BYU game but I found out I didn't miss much except a few interceptions.

The Pima Air and Space Museum was very cool. With Uncle Christian, the boys accidentally opened a hatch in the monster NASA plane. We tried to avoid the B-17 bomber memorial because of all the naked ladies on the wall - it was a quite trip to see the "flying fortress".

It was then back to home. We stopped at a motel on Route 66 in Flagstaff and had a memorial experience. Anders actually went poops on the potty all by himself - it was quite the celebration, we went to Taco Bell to celebrate. We visited the Lowell Observatory - this is where Pluto was discovered in 1930. They all feel sad that it is not considered a full-fledged planet anymore.

Adrianne then had a crazy, spontaneous idea. She suggested staying the night in a Navajo hogan just outside Zion National Park. And so we did. We were the only folks brave enough to do it at the Village of Many Nations. While it was freezing outside, with a small fire inside we had 70 degree temperatures. It didn't fall below 50 degrees even after the fire went out. These are very well insulated. This was the highlight of the trip. Jake and Tanner both said they will never forget this road trip. Therefore, we had a successful trip. Staying in the hogan just before Thanksgiving reminded each of us of the blessings we have. This is a great country that allows all of us to be successful in anything.

Weekend games

I'm just sitting here listening to "The Cricket in Times Square" with the kids and blogging - I guess blogging is a new type of hobby or pasttime. I'm not very good at it - still a greenhorn and I don't even know the right phrases that have been added to the Websters Dictionary for this new hobby.

We spend Friday night with Adrianne's brother's family (Richard, Rachal and their son, Noah). The boys have been wanting to play the limited edition of Lord of the Rings Risk board game. Rich found one on Craig's List. After about 1 hour of explanation and set up, and pizza and salad and dessert, we started an epic game. Jake and I were of the land of Mordor and Tanner and Rich were the Fellowship of the Rings. Long story short, the good guys destroyed us after about 2 1/2 hours.

Monday I tried a game I've never played, marbles. The boys have been playing marbles for a long time and have quite the collection. I'm not very good. McKinley is the best lagger upper and has a great touch. The one photo is Mac getting her shot in.

The other photo is election night as we watched the results come in. The kids used red and blue crayons to color in a map as Obama picked up the win. McKinley didn't quite make it past Ohio. I never remember being interested in this stuff when I was their age. We could never get excited about McCain - he is actually very annoying. We hope Obama has success and that our country can get back on her feet again. All of our support is behind this new administration (at least for now). Do you think Rocky Andersen will ever attack another president like he did Bush? That is one of the many good reasons to have the Bush administration coming to an end - no more ranting from Ross Andersen

Good things come to those who wait

We were explaining the "good things come to those who wait" philosophy to our kids this weekend. It was a good/wait weekend. Unfortunately some of the benefits came from businesses that are going out of business...so is it really so good? Then, Anders decided to prove the point that good things really do come to those who wait.

Who wants to potty train their forth child? It has been on the list of things to do, but it has had a hard time making it to the top. We finally broke down and bought a potty at IKEA (one of our good things that come to those who wait--it was only $3.99). We have been waiting even though Anders has been asking. I mean, am I really ready to drag a 2 plus year old to every potty everywhere we go? Am I ready to do potty on Anders time and not on my own? There is a certain convenience that comes with diapers.

Then today while we were reading as a family Anders announced that he was going to go potty. Not moving from my spot I removed his diaper and told him to go. The mini-mom of our house accompanied him and made sure he was doing okay. I went up to check a couple of minutes later and mini-mom announced that Anders had official gone potty. I missed it. He did it. The proof was there.

Good things really do come to those who wait! If anyone questions that philosophy you can ask Anders next time you see him.

Halloween 2008

We had quite the party here in Sandy. Adrianne's family came up for dinner and trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. We even hit a couple of neighborhood spook alleys. For local, free spook alleys, they were pretty good. Check out the Jack-O-Lanterns. Jakob carved the wolves and Adrianne did the cat. Cool stuff!!!

Jakob got the most comments because of his unique costume. He was an ATT (Automatice Trick or Treater). He come up with it all on his own. Tanner was Ned Nitrogen from his Adventures of the Elements learning activities. McKinley was a fairy. And Anders was our famous dragon that has been passed down to each kid. Tanner's and Mac's costumes were made by Grandma Poulsen - she does such a good job helping them out. Anders really thinks he is going to get all the candy he has, think twice my young, green monster dragon - that is all for my office goodies. Enjoy the photos!

Side Swiped at Seventy

This is going to go down in history as one Halloween to remember (I did like Melissa's fainting incident though). Have you ever been side swiped by someone going 70 mph. Here's the story. We were traveling to the SLC police station to trick or treat. Heading north on I-15 in the carpool lane I had 2 cars behind me - well behind me. There was no traffic at I had cruise set on 70-71 mph. Out of no where, the truck behind me decides to tailgate - really close, less than a car length. I got agitated and tapped my brakes. He did not back off or go around me. He used his signal thinking that was telling me to move over - remember, this is the carpool lane. He comes up pulling into the fast lane and nearly hits me going there - then comes back into the carpool lane cutting me off. He forgot he had a big dually F-350 man truck - he clipped us pretty good sending us into a short wobble. He obviously knew it because he took off. I wasn't going to let this bozo get off that easy. I speed up and the Pilot performed great reaching some high speeds so we could finally get his license plate and call 911. The adrenalin was rushing now. After about a mile at higher speeds, he knew he wasn't getting away (and his wife was probably yelling at him) and I didn't want to lose him because then no one would pay for this damage he caused, except me and my insurance. We followed him all the way to Redwood Rd. and SouthTemple to a parking lot where I kept my distance. He knew we had the cops coming. About 15 minutes later the cops show up and get our stories. It was a no brainer decision for them. They cited him but I don't know what citation he got. Turns out, he thought the lane was the "Express Lane" to the airport and told the cops we were only going 50 mph. Damage to the Pilot was minimal but that can still mean over $1000 to my fender and rims and tire. The best part was this guy and his entire family missed their flights. And it was his son's truck. Any body know a good body shop?

How's that Fall

We really love the Fall in this household. It seems that everyone holds up at home or the shopping center and leaves the mountains to us - or the deer hunters. Last year we got stuck mountain biking in prime deer hunting areas without the 400 square inches of required hunter orange on body and head. But after seeing how most people hunt - we were turned off. This year we headed to Customer Appreciation Day at Snowbird for a free tram ride - with 6 cans of food. Snowbird recently had 4 inches of snow but it had melted by the time we got there. The kids loved the ride up especially when you go past a tower - and the whoosh and sway of the tram car. Jake didn't feel a thing but I think everyone else had some stomach churning going on. I usually ride the tram up, but going down was a different story - it seems like you are going twice as fast.

The photo of McKinley and Anders on the back deck was a random shot of those two just having fun. If you didn't know, Mac can go "cross-eyed". It really looks funny on a 5 year old. I could do it at that age. The parents told me it would hurt my eyes - but look, I'm one of the few Thygersons without glasses or contacts. I love watching Anders being intrigued by everything. Right now his favorite thing is his Thomas the train. He takes it everywhere including to bed. We played some soccer tonight and he lost Thomas in the grass - but luck was on our side and I nearly trypped over Thomas running after a ball.

Yes, we love Fall. Our Mountain is ablaze in fully glory. Even the Quercus gambelii (Gambel's oak) is looking sweet.

If Only Life Were a Cartoon...

Okay, I debated about whether or not to post this. We have talked about how we could do an entire post just on things that McKinley says. She says some pretty "incredible" things. So the lastest is titled "If Only Life Were a Cartoon."

We were headed down to the BYU football game. We were going to drop the kids off at the grandparents' house and head out for a rare day on our own.

From out of nowhere McKinley asked, "Mom, why did you marry that man?"

I wasn't sure where she was going with this and replied, "Why, should I have married someone else?"

Her startling reply was, "You should have married someone that was more handsome."

I was a little shocked and struggled for a response. Then, it dawned on me that everything is fairy tale prince and princess in her five year old girl world. So I asked, "You mean someone like Eric."

"Yes, someone like Ariel and Eric. You should have married someone more handsome." The train of thought continued.

"I prefer the real man, not the cartoon," was my comeback.

She was not to be swayed, and I was undaunted because I had Steve sitting next to me in the car. Steve finally called the conversation quits, and neither McKinley nor I had the final word. I was satisfied with my choice of a marriage partner, and McKinley was determined to find Prince Charming for her wedded bliss. While my fate is chosen, only time will tell what McKinley's fate will be.

McKinley, be forewarned this story will find its way to your wedding party. We will welcome Prince Charming with open arms. I just wonder if he will find it charming.

Overcoming Timp

We knew the weather was coming in, yet our goal was to make it to the top of Timpanogos before the snows hit. Our plan seemed to be working - we started at 5am with just a light drizzle that we attributed to being in a cloud. Hiking the trail at that time with headlamps was like being in a tunnel. We set a blistering pace to start but let up when we got to the first waterfall. That spot marked the fartherest Justin had been on that trail - and now we were taking him into the unknown. As the light of day started to show us the way, we noticed how wet we were and I could feel water going into my boots. Our original plan was to turn around if the rain doubled in intensity or if we hit snow. We hiked for about 2 hours before deciding to turn around - it was raining about 5 times as hard and almost snowing. In fact, we could see the snow line just a couple hundred yards ahead. This marked the turn around point. We put on warmer clothes only find out how hard it is to zip up when one's hands are numb. I think my thighs were past feeling as well. I felt a little discouraged that we had to turn around but I was colder than I had ever been in my life and knew we still had 2 hours back to the car - better not press out luck.

On the way down, we met some BYU students who were trying the same hike in the rain - they were in ponchos but also sandals - hmmmm??? About 1/4 later, 3 of the girls in that group came running down saying a big bull moose was coming down the trail. Great! now we had to tangle with a moose. The other 3 hikers then joined up saying the moose wouldn't let them pass and couldn't figure out how we got by it - truthfully, we never saw it.

After a nice leisurely hike back down, we really noticed how cold we were. My knees locked up riding down the canyon. I think it took a 20 minute shower to warm up - and the water just wasn't warm enough. Well, lesson learned - don't try to beat out the weather and keep an eye out for the old moose.

We enjoyed conference weekend at the parent's home in Provo. Adrianne and I enjoyed a movie late Saturday night and decided to crash there too. We then had a nice breakfast, another conference session and lunch then headed home for the afternoon session. I love conference weekend.

High & Mighty Uintas

This was a trip our family has been looking forward to for a long time. I used to go to Scout Lake with my friends in high school. The fishing is amazing, the scenery is unmatched and the good times will be remembered forever. Matt brought his two boys, Logan and Jack, Justin came and Adrianne and kids came. Only Tanner stayed the night since Jakob had an important soccer game in the morning. As usual, the fishing was great. Just about every cast caught a fish or had bites. I think I was feeding the fish with power bait because they nibbled off by bait about every other cast. Tanner caught 6 fish, Jakob 2 and Logan 2 or 3. We cooked up the fish and that trout is amazing. The video is of the 3 sided shelters you stay in (called Adirondacks). We thought it would be super cold and perhaps rain. It did rain and even snow for about 1/2 hour that afternoon, but it all cleared out and the evening was perfect and quiet (eerily quiet). The morning was around 40 degrees but typical. Overall, a great trip that we will go on each year.

The State Fair

We had some free tickets to the Utah State Fair so we used them on the second to last day of the blessed event. I think we chose the perfect time of day that Saturday to hit it because parking was a snap and in and out was so easy. The best part was watching the boys go around and around on the ferris wheel - I think they go for about 7 minutes just around and around. We had to get McKinley her pony fix for the year - yeah - another year where I don't have to buy her a pony. Anders was a bit under the weather so he just chilled in the stroller. My favorite are the big animals like Big Red, the 2300 lb. cow (I think) that stands 6 feet high at the shoulders - I also loved the huge geese. My brother Scott would have been scared to death and would need a change of underpants if he saw these (that story goes way back to Snake Creek Canyon in Midway).

My classes are going well - I showed the Paul Potts youtube video for some inspiration to the students. I'll need to show it again later in the semester to pick up their spirits. How about those Cougars. It is funny to hear the conversations among the old men at work. Words like "wow" and "very good" and "Max Hall" were used quite extensively. Too bad we have to miss the game this weekend - got some fish to catch up at Scout Lake, mmm, nothing like planter trout cooked in tons of butter and almonds and salt and pepper.

My First Lecture

Today marked my first lecture in my graduate class. Ironically, I had just finished a book entitled "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. It is about a computer science professor who has terminal pancreatic cancer. He is very gifted and has many good things to share with people as he knows he is going to die. But most of all, he shares his feelings with his children. It is about accomplishing your childhood dreams, whatever they may be. It reminds us of what the priorities should be in life. Great read for anyone who needs a little boost in life.

I did teach yesterday in my occupational safety and health class but that was more housekeeping stuff. Today was my lecture and great discussion to graduate students in public health - not necessary my area of expertise. But I am charged with providing the foundations of public health. It has been a real eye opener as how we put value on public health. The class is held once a week for 2.5 hours. I thought for sure we would get out early but the discussion just keep going and going. We were discussing if parents have the right to opt out of mandatory immunizations for their children. I think the students wanted to share because it was the first day and they needed to get the semester started right by impressing their nobel professor. They did very well. I could almost see it getting heated when I talked about people I know who don't send their kids to school because they are against mandatory immunizations - they have many othe reasons also. It was an exciting day and now I set my sights on - my second lecture. What is the cliche? One day at a time?

I hope you enjoy the video. Adrianne cooked up some awesome steaks for me and then it was off to the trampoline to have "bum wars". I'm glad I captured Anders saying he wanted a bum war. After the war it was full attack of the 4 legged spider - me. I lay on my back on the trampoline and the kids try to run around me without getting caught. If it goes to long without me catching them, they give themselves up and get caught and then the real fun begins. They yell "piggy" and all the other attack me to try and save the little one. It is my way of teaching them loyalty and bravery to fight for your flesh and blood - at least I think that is what I'm trying to teach.

WAY TO GO MOM!

Tanner recently lost two teeth. He lost the first at a park movie night. He didn't even realize he had lost it until we were walking home. He lost the second tooth the next day. He put the tooth under his pillow, and the next morning asked me if I had forgotten to call the Tooth Fairy. You see I have this problem of remembering about the good old TF. I have explained this on past occasions by letting them know that I indeed need to make a call so the TF can know that they lost their tooth. It wasn't that unusual that I had forgotten to call, and so the tooth remained under the pillow.

Well, this would have been fine if it had just been one night. I called the TF and she didn't show up a second night. I guess that I forgot to tell her which child had lost the tooth. We have more children than we used to, and there are three children of the age to loose teeth. I had to make a second call. I was a little disgruntled. I had an eight year old boy that was disappointed that the Tooth Fairy had not shown up. Thank goodness the TF got it right the third night. I guess it is the problem with cheap labor. Is anyone else having this problem with the TF?

I do have to say that the TF was very generous and gave Tanner enough to cover two teeth, even though only one made it under the pillow. Thank goodness for tooth fairies and the parents that call them.

A Convenient Truth

If you have never played hide-n-seek with a 2 year old - I can truly say you are missing out. For those of you who know a 2-year-old, please play this game with them before it is too late. It is fun with older kids (or even adults who find really interesting hiding spots like on top of landings above Murphy beds, Eric Aidukatis style) but not the same as with a little boy who acts like a dog most of the time and needs the quiet time to understand that one can really act quietly at times. Anders can hide anywhere as long as he is "hiding". We could hide in the middle of the room by just squatting down and saying "shhhhh". He is really good at the "Shhhh" part. After I had hid a couple of times with him - it was my turn to hide by myself. I decided to hide really good in a convenient place - like my bathroom. I'd been there for about 5 minutes while Tanner was the seeker. Tanner is one to start seeking and gets impatient so he asks the hiders to "make a noise". By this time, I was making a noise. I was on the potty using the "convenient" location to its full potential. Next thing I know, Tanner turns the light on and was immediately embarrassed. So for those adults who want a really good hiding place with benefits, try the porcelain god. By the way, Al Gore is just as annoying as ever.

The Olympic Watch

Just hanging out this evening with the family watching the Olympics. Saw Usain Bolt smash the 200 meter world record - that man is fast. Gymnastics is okay for a couple of nights but we are glad it is over and now on to the real olympics - track and field. We have been staying up way too late watching each night - but the kids see the history in it.

The boys stripped some hydrogen molecules off the oxygen from water - anyone else ever done that. It is usually done with a violent explosion but we found a way to do it safer and quieter.

We did some geocaching to a secret waterfall on the mountain above our neighborhood. I haven't been having much luck lately - 0 for the last 3. But I felt better when I got home and read the other logs - no one else had much luck with those geocaches either. By the way, the secret waterfall is awesome. I should take a photo and it would look like I was in some ancient rainforest. Very cool!!!

Woof woof from Dog Lake

I took the boys on another backpack trip to Dog Lake between Big Cottonwood and Millcreek canyons. The Stewarts (Casey, Caden and Reed) came with us. At first, the pace was slow because the boys really enjoy each other's company and stop and look at dirt and rocks and plants and trees and bugs a lot. But 2 1/2 hours later we arrived at Dog Lake. I think it is called Dog Lake because of the sheer number of dogs that take their owners to it. But by 7:30pm, most of them were gone and we thought we had the lake to ourselves. What I forgot was that it was full moon Friday - that means weirdos come out and build bonfires and do funny rituals during the full moon. But we were camped far enough away to not be bothered by them - except for some guy yelling at nothing at about 2 am. The video is of Tanner and Reed trying out the raft they built with Casey's help. As you can see, things didn't go so well - luckily for Tanner he packed extra clothes and of course, his comfy PJs.

It was a great trip and I would recommend it to anyone - very beautiful area that connects to many other trails and peaks.

Typical Day

It seems the summer is getting busier and busier as it winds down. Today was a typical busy day that seems to sap the time right away - but right now we have a little down time to watch the Olympics. It seems like we are mostly "human doings" and not human beings. And I love it when McKinley calls people "humans". For example, she would say, "there were a lot of humans at the pool today. I was up early and gone before most of the kids were up. Then I heard they had a great time on Tanner's scout hike this morning at 8am. Very cool waterfall just up the hill from us. I went to work and decided to take 30 minutes to lift some weights. That was mistake number one. I have done that since my shoulder injury - no signs of pain in the shoulder but the rest of me is sore, ouch! Matt and Scott probably know what the pecs feel like after not lifting for a while. I got home and it was a quick dinner then off to Jakob's soccer practice. Then pick him up and go to McKinley's soccer practice so Adrianne could go to a movie with her friends. Good times!! At least this time the soccer fields are close by. McKinley is about as cute as they come - her soccer team is a ton of fun for her.

We did another campout this weekend. Good times, too. Aspen Grove seems much smaller than I remember it. The best was watching the kids do their skits. Jack and Logan wanted to do skits all night. They even made up skits just to keep the party going. Owling with Grandpa was fun and actually relaxing even though I had 30 lbs. of dead weight to hold onto named Anders. No owls heard or found but Justin did a great job holding the spotlight. As you can see from the above photo - Anders is well fed. That is one kid who can take care of himself if needed. Goes to show that humans are scavengers from birth.

Oh how I love to golf

I pulled the sticks out today to play in a BYU tournament in West Valley. I took the kids last night to warm up at South Mountain driving range. They actually let you pile the kids into a golf cart and drive the 1/2 mile or so down to the range. The kids loved the ride - Anders only screamed once loud enough to turn everybody's heads. If they can hit the ball straight after his scream, they should be able to handle any distraction in their backswing. So I headed out to play this morning not knowing how well I would play in the scamble. I did hit well the night before but my bad habits can come back fairly quickly. Our team ended up tying for 1st place at 3 under for 9 holes. The thing is, all but one of my drives were used and the 3 birdies we got were all shots hit by me - that's right - me. I've never putted or driven the ball so well. I think I might have to take this game more serious like I did in Colorado. Maybe I should buy some golf shoes or an electric golf caddie or something.

We spent the rest of the evening playing soccer with the kids out front. Tanner and Adrianne won on penalty kicks - isn't that how all world cups end? We are all gearing up for a fourth weekend in a row of camping or backpacking. It is a full family camp at Aspen Grove. Should be fun - especially since Justin is planning on some good skits and mom Thygerson is doing the breakfast. Later, Steve

Summer coming to an end 2008

Yep. That's right. We signed the 3 older kids up for soccer and all of a sudden, summer has ended. We have practices on 3 different days and games on 3 other different days. We have 2 more camping trips planned and then back to school. Of course, homeschool has its advantages but the kids still spend plenty of time studying. Jake is getting to point where he drives his education. K12 is really a cool thing and a good alternative for those who want to try it out.

I've been getting ready for the fall semester. It will be neat to have students back roaming the halls and not just EFY or sport camp kids. I am amazed at how much the Richards building is used. It must be one of the busier buildings on campus. I started a new consulting firm call Health and Safety Solutions. It will be exciting to see how things work out. I gave a safety presentation today to most LDS and BYU facility managers. The room was packed and I think I scared some women with the video clips I used. Nothing like a bunch of gasps to get the presentation started. Ooops. Gotta go eat - smells like turkey steaks, mmmmmmmm! Steve

Shish Kabobs at the Thygersons

Scott and Vaun were in town from Bakersfield so we decided to get everyone together for Adrianne's shish kabobs. It was cool to have all the grandkids together in one place so what did we do - try to get photos with the grandkids and grandparents. See the video to get an idea of how it went. I think many out there can relate.

What a Hike!!!

Yes, it was my fault. I completely missed the turnoff to Red Pine Lake. We had some friends who hiked to Red Pine the week before and said it was long but they had two little ones with them and it took them 4 hours up. About 3/4 the way up we really hit some steep trail and I thought I had a new found respect for these friends who don't come across as rough and rugged hikers. It was steep and luckily we had very light backpacks. Mine was only 18 lbs. The one I took with the boys was 45 lbs. just 2 weeks earlier. I heard Matt had a 55 lb. pack just for himself for 2 nights. I was trying to figure my bearings on the GPS and it was pointing to Red Pine straight over the 1000 foot cliff to the west of White Pine. We made it to White Pine around dark. We camped there and decided to try to get to Red Pine in the morning. The stars were out but not a brilliantly due to a haze in the air - maybe from the fires across the valley. Ad and I played Gin Rummy for an hour or so and called it a night. By the way - trust Aleve, I do. Doesn't that sound like a good advertisement for it. I think I could backpack each weekend with Adrianne. Even though we were only 8.125 miles from our home (as the crow flies), we were in a completely different world and circumstance. No kids, no other people, no commitments, no worldly worries at all. I pondered about the purpose of this life being the deep thinker that I am. Is life all about just feeding our selfish desires and just trying to accomplish that next great thing? - is it about the next awesome adventure I'll go on next? Sure we should enjoy our mortal existence, especially the wonders on this God-created world, but at what priority? I think as one ages, the priorities in this life become more clear. I know of very few teenagers who actually get what this life is about - and those usually are very successful at an early age. But I also know many 30 somethings who are stuck in the prioritization of life. To me, God is at the top, always and forever. And what does that mean. Many say that - I say that, but each must define what having God as the most important priority means - to them. No one else can do it for you. I've found that moving back to Utah, this definition is very skewed. There is way too much gray here for so many people who have been taught the truth of God and Jesus and what it means to be a disciple of Christ. To much gray! Yet on the other hand, I think there are more people who live in this great state who understand the "God as #1" definition better than any place on earth. Happily I say that I recognize the good in people much more than the distrust. I think this is what makes me a better driver on the road - but that is a different topic altogether (Why people drive the way they do or You are how you drive). It all boils down to, Am I doing all I can to ensure that God stays first on any priority list I have? It is a constant struggle but I think I'm slowly getting there. I have an eternal companion for a reason. Adrianne is a calming agent yet also a driver in my life. I never grow tired of her companionship. How vital she is to my very existence. God has blessed me with her for a reason. Our blog title "Lichen to Rock" has several meanings to us. One is that we are each other's Rock, we build on each other by remembering who our number one priority is in life which in turn enables us to work together toward eternal life - a most precious gift made possible by our Savior. Those were my thoughts as I sat looking at the vastness of space.

We ended up making a run and Red Pine but really didn't want to have to scale the cliff or more boulders. I thought, how cool would it be to be a Pika and live in the boulders. What a playground. We packed up an began to see the first of the morning hikers who made it to White Pine. We past many on the way down, including some who I know wouldn't make it to the top. 2 hours 15 minutes up and 2 hours 10 minutes down - we really cruised up the mountain. Any who - hope you enjoyed that log about our 13th anniversary trip. Steve

13 years of wooded bliss

World of blogging here we come! We finally decided to give it a try.

Steve and I are nearing our 13th anniversary (Tuesday, August 5th). I think it will go down in history as the anniversary that "Steve tried to kill me." We celebrated this weekend by taking a rare trip backpacking. Steve chose a "moderate" trail to Red Pine Lake. It started out well enough. We were cruising through the backcountry, enjoying the scenery and the company. It was only supposed to be about a three mile hike. Piece of cake right? Two hours later on steep knee-tearing, rocky boulder field paths, with no lake in sight, I wasn't so sure. Thirty minutes later we did find a lake, only the GPS told us it was White Pine Lake. Red Pine Lake was one-half of a mile away. One-half mile away over a seemingly impassible rocky mountain cliff.

Needless to say we decided to make camp at White Pine Lake. It was beautiful, and I am happy to report, worth the hike. With aching knees we crawled into our barely used backpacking tent for a peaceful nights sleep. Peaceful that is except for the throbbing knees. Maybe ibuprofen would have been a good idea.

To make a long story short. After exploring the area around White Pine Lake. We decided to abandon attempts to find Red Pine Lake. When we got to the bottom of the trail we noticed the missed trailhead to Red Pine Lake. The good news is we already have our next hike planned. We feel the need to compare the two trails. What is the difference between a "moderate" and "strenuous" trail anyway?