Thursday, October 11, 2007

Backpacking Timp

Our first camp below Emerald Lake

Earlier this fall, Matt & Ashley continued their grand life of adventure in the mountain tops of the Wasatch range. Along with their travel companions, Mike & Rochelle, they headed up the Aspen grove trail head, up a cliff side, up another cliff side, and yet another cliff side to reach (what a surprise) an additional cliff side. It never ended. This mysterious phenomena is explained by fact that we were backpacking up the cliff side, which for some unexplained reason, always makes the mountain look taller.


Just when we thought we couldn't handle anymore, the weather, of course, turned on us and it started to rain. As we *exaggerated for effect* trudged through knee deep mud carrying our 5 ton packs, we collapsed on the dangerously slim trail. *exaggerated for effect* We thought to ourselves, "I don't think we can make it back down alive," while we were being crushed under the weight of our own packs. *exaggerated for effect* At that point Rochelle looked up and saw something that gave her a glimmer of hope. "look!" So we looked. And behold, we beheld a gift from above. A rainbow. Suddenly our burdens seemed lightened and our strength returned. Of course Ashley explained away this miracle with her so-called Science. "Really a rainbow is just caused by Hydrogen Fusion in the Sun's core that gives off energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation that travels to earth at the speed of light, but still takes 8 minutes to reach the atmosphere which is filled with small water droplets from the recent rainstorm that act like prisms to refract the EM radiation into its different wavelengths causing a bow of color within the visible spectrum." *NOT exaggerated for effect* Then they threw her off the mountain.


After campin' on the mountain for two days, we were adopted by a large family of goats. They welcomed us to their flock by offering sticks to chew on and rock climbing lessons. Ashley was all for the climbing lessons and Matt was excited about chewing sticks. All and all, we learned much from these gentle animals.


The peak at Dusk with a Mama and Baby goat


The first waterfall on the Aspen Grove Trailhead


Emerald Lake


Pretty Clouds


Timp in the light of a setting sun