Head to the Hills

“The mountains are calling and I must go.”
― John Muir

We recently returned from our annual pilgrimage to the Uintah mountains to camp at the West Fork of Blacks Fork.  It was great to return to a spot so familiar to enjoy the wonders of nature.  It doesn't seem to matter how many years it has been, time stands still in this part of our beautiful state. These mountains are part of my earliest memories and part of my family's history.  I'm so happy that I get to share this beautiful place with my children as we build our own memories.

Here are a few of the highs and lows -

Lows:

Rain - For some reason we can't seem to avoid a monsoon for at least one night while we are camping.  This time it started raining, right after we got out of the xTerra.  It made for a long first night, but we survived....

Wind - A single gust of wind took the new canopy we purchased for the trip and tore a big hole in it.  Argh!

Hobo Stew - Unlike our experience a decade ago, there were effects from a campfire favorite.  Perhaps the same cannot be said for the tent of Big Al.

Highs:

Family - We love going camping with my dad and Jason's family.  This time we were lucky enough to bring Alicia's boys along as well.  Quinn enjoyed his first time camping - even if he wasn't sure he was going to make it the first night.

Cool Drink - For the past few years the road to a natural spring we visit has been closed and barricaded.  This year, it was open again.  Better yet the road had actually been developed somewhat making for a "good" ride.

Ford F150 - My dad decided to rent a truck for the trip.  And what a truck it was.  We've had our xTerra for over 12 years now and I have to say - a truck may be in our future.  It was AWESOME!

Camping-Just the Girls!

So my friends and I have a somewhat new tradition that I hope continues for awhile.  Last summer we went camping for a night, no hubbies, just the girls and all the kids.  We had so much fun that we decided to do it again this year.  And I hope it continues for a long time...

All of us had a good time.  We went for a fun hike, had a snowball fight, ate lots of treats, rode lots of scooters, built lots of forts and enjoyed some quiet time around the fire.  

Here are a few pics of our night away.

Capitol Reef - Stand in Holy Places

A few months ago I decided I wasn't going to attend Youth Conference this year.  It was scheduled at a terrible time for me to go.  We had a family vacation scheduled for the day the conference ended and I knew it would be a lot of driving, for a pretty short trip.

Then, I started looking into the hike they were going on in Capitol Reef.  I really wanted to go.  I haven't really hiked much in that part of the state and it looked amazing.  I decided I would attend so I could go on the hike.

Conference started on Thursday and we drove, and drove, and drove.  The Boulder Mountains aren't exactly close to Salt Lake.  Still, it was a fun trip and I got a kick out of listening the Deacons' conversations.  These guys can really get going on all things soccer, school, and Taylor Swift.

On Friday we woke up early and set out for Sulphur Creek.  It was a beautiful walk through the towering red rock.  The hike was about 5 miles, but most of it was pretty flat and after the first mile you were inside the canyon walls.  I had a great time walking and talking with the kids.  You can really learn a lot about someone while on a hike.  It was nice to hear about what's important to our YM/YW.


When we stopped for lunch the fun kicked in.  One of the best parts of Sulphur Creek is some of the waterfalls you encounter along the trail.  We had a great time sliding down the rock into a pool at the bottom.  Of course I couldn't resist and went down a couple of times.  It's what I love about hiking in canyons!

We went back to camp and everyone settled into to fun games and good competitions.  There were some marathon games of Mafia and a few intense card games.  The kids had a great time hanging out with one another.

I think the highlight of the trip was the evening devotional and testimony meeting.  I've been to Youth Conference pretty much every year since I've been married and this testimony meeting took the cake.  Every testimony meeting is special, but this was one of the five most spiritual meetings I've attended in my entire life.  The kids really poured out their souls to one another and to our Heavenly Father.  It was something I'll never forget.

After everything was over the hike was merely an afterthought.  The conference was all about the kids and the great leaders I work with.  I can't say enough about the incredible people in my ward.  In the church we like to use the term ward family and that couldn't fit this group any better.  I may have gone to Youth Conference for a hike in Capitol Reef, but I left with a deeper love for our Youth, our leaders, and the Lord.

Topaz

When I was 12 year old scout I went to Topaz Mountain.  It was the first time I'd been camping without my parents and it was a chance to experience the outdoors on my own.  My memories of Topaz were of a desert in the middle of nowhere, down miles of dirt roads and where it seemed like we had the whole mountain to ourselves.  I recall sleeping out under the stars and trying to make it to 3 am to see Haley's Comet make it's way through the night sky.  Topaz Mountain held treasres waiting to be uncovered and it was the perfect spot for a young scout.

Over my teenage years we kept going back to Topaz.  We didn't worry about panning for stones after a while, but we loved heading back to the desert to explore.  One of my favorite memories was heading out west with Brant, Tyler, and Mitch for another one of our adventures.  As time passed, I never seemed to go back to the mountain and it seemed locked away in my past.

Last weekend my relationship with Topaz continued, this time as a scout leader.  We packed up our gear and headed out to the desert - with a whole new group of boys ready to explore.  Our troop had a great time.  There was plenty of hiking, cooking, investigating, mining, panning, and very little sleeping.  It was fun to rekindle a part of my past and good just to get out and go camping again!  Here are a few of the highlights:

• Waiting in a traffic jam on the only road heading southwest out of Nephi.  The boys took advantage of a few minutes of road repair and pulled out their skateboards.
• Watching scouts be scouts.  It doesn't matter if they are 17 or 12, when you get boys together they do some pretty crazy things.
• Early morning hiking with Dave and Charlton.  One of my favorite parts of the camp was getting to know some of the guys in my neighborhood.
• Jacob's discovery.  Jacob "found" a perfect trilobite in the middle of the night.  Everyone was impressed, even more so when he told us that he brought it from home.
• Mining the stones.  I don't know that this is my favorite part of camping at Topaz, but you've to spend a few minutes looking for some Topaz, right?

Klondike Camping

A few months ago I was called to be the Assistant Scoutmaster.  This is a calling I knew I'd love.  Working with the young men, fun activities, playing with toys - what's not to love.  The only thing I was a little worried about was WINTER CAMPING.  Don't get me wrong - I love to camp.  It's just winter camping that I wasn't so gung ho about.  Honestly, I didn't want to force a bunch of 12-year-olds to camp out in the freezing cold.  That being said, we felt that it was important to take our kids to the annual Klondike Derby in Heber last weekend.

It couldn't have turned out better.  The camp is actually at the Heber Valley Girls' Camp, so instead of freezing in a tent all night, we were relaxing in the bunk houses (rough I know).  It was perfect for our younger boys - for three of them this was their first scout camp.

Leading up to the Klondike Ryan got our boys super excited building our sled; they spent three weeks working on it!  It was so cool to see how proud the boys were of their new ride.  They wanted to compete with the other groups and show that they could do anything they set their minds to.  Wow, isn't that the purpose of Scouting, building boys into men.

The Klondike events were very fun.  The boys raced in snowshoes, build winter shelters, navigated obstacles courses, raced the sled, and administered first aid.  In the end our troop finished 3rd overall.  Not bad considering there were 23 troops in attendance.  Our sled time was third fastest and we finished second in the snowshoe relay.  Our boys couldn't have been happier!

In the end, I don't know who had a better time this weekend, the boys or the leaders.  I really love the guys I work with in our Ward and it was a total blast going camping with them.  I can't wait for future outings so I can be a scout again!

BTW - The trip was even better because Coleton and Evan came with their troop!  Fun to watch Coleton compete with his friends...

Take a look at Troop 332 is action!

Fathers/Kids Overnighter

We just got back from our annual Fathers/Kids Overnighter and it was a complete success.  The campout has had some ups and downs in past years, but this time there was no whining, no injuries, and - best of all - no vomit!  Alex and Dede had a great time playing with all their friends and running around the campsite.  I had fun hanging out with the other dads from the neighborhood and being "manly".

I felt bad this year that we didn't bring D, but the camp was along the river in American Fork Canyon and it was flowing way too fast to have the fearless Mr. D with us.  I can't even tell you how nervous I was with little kids next to that raging water.  Next year we'll let Dylan make his debut.

Kennedy was the star of the trip for all the little girls (and a few of the boys).  She broke out her nail polish and everyone had an Instant Makeover.  It was something to see all those little pink fingernails.  Even Kurt Larsen got a little manicure for a fun summer look.

Alex and I played a ton with the rocks and the river.  He loved climbing the big rock at the edge of camp. It was a small adventure, but he couldn't get enough.  It was lots of fun seeing him have a ball in the great outdoors.

Our trip was short, but very sweet.  I love the Fathers/Kids Campout each year.  It is a great way to connect with the kids outside and to give Tara a bit of a break.  Kudos to the other guys in the area who put this fun trip together.

Neighborhood Campout

Tara and I love our neighborhood.  Over the past ten years we've had some great families move in and we couldn't be happier with all the wonderful people we've grown to love.  We have developed some fun traditions around here and we hope they continue for years to come.

Each summer several of the families in our area get together for an overnighter.  It usually is a campout, but this year we stayed in a cabin.  We did have a fire and rode a bunch of 4 wheelers so it may count as a bit of a campout, right?

Stolen from Lauretta's Blog

Friday night we had a lot of fun spinning tales around the fire.  A special log was added to the mix and it created a blue flame that mesmerized the kids and adults alike.  After some tall tales, Bree and I got the group involved with a couple party games.  I hope everyone had a good time and no one was to upset with a little wet surprise.

Stolen from Lauretta's Blog

The kids had a great time overall.  How can things go wrong when you've got a cabin full of kids all wanting to play?  Big D was the only one who had a rough go.  I think he must have been eating a bit too many treats as he started puking early Saturday morning.  The illness was over quickly and he was back at the festivities by noon.  We were glad to have Dylan back to full strength.

As part of our trip we headed over to the Smith Moorehouse Reservoir for a little lake fun.  The water was a bit cold for any serious swimming, but we found plenty to do from the shore.  Kennedy and Alex learned how to fish thanks to Ryan and Judi.  They couldn't get enough of casting into the water.  I guess we're going to have to buy some poles before too long.

While the kids we trolling for fish, a few of the dads headed across the lake for a "little adventure".  Rob mentioned that we needed to be initiated in the flying idiots club so I paddled with him, Sam, and Russell across the water to find a rope swing high in the trees.

Rob set the bar as he climbed up the hill and flew out over the lake dropped into the water below.  Sam went next and then it was up to me.  How could I chicken out after the boys had already joined the club?  As I prepped for flight the last advice Rob gave was "let go of the rope."  Once I was in the air and I realized how high I was off the ground his advice rang true.  I didn't want to let go, but I did and fell down - about 25 to 30 feet into the freezing water.  Holy Cow!  That was as cold as I've ever been!

After a full afternoon of fun with our friends we cleaned up at the lake and began our journey home.  What a wonderful trip.  Thanks to the Balls for sharing the family cabin with us and thanks to all our terrific neighbors for including us in the fun.

Rio Mesa

Last weekend I headed back down to the desert outside of Moab for another round of "geek camping". Yup, it was time again for a GIS mapping project at Rio Mesa. This time we were helping the University of Utah's Biology department with a study of ant colonies. I know, you're all feeling badly since you weren't invited to come along, but those are the breaks. Truth be told, mapping ants wasn't as bad as it sounds. Since we mapped out someone's junk last time, I actually thought this was a lot more interesting.

I think the best part of the trip was all the new participants we brought along. Most of the regulars were asked to be a mentor for a new student and so there were several first timers to the ranch. They were great. I brought along Mindy from Granite District and I think she had a great time. There is something about getting out in the field and doing actual work that gets people excited about learning. Each time I go to Rio Mesa it reminds me of the need for practical experiences with students. It is so important.

My highlight beyond the project was certainly the campfire stories. There's something magical about the tales people weave around an open flame. I'm sure there were several tall tales (I may have been guilty of one or two stretches), but some really interesting discussions came out as well. Hanging out with a group of teachers is always educational, and always fun. Thanks for the good times at Rio Mesa, see you next year.

Our Exciting Project

Fathers and Kids Campout

I know I'm crazy right.  The day after we got home from our rain out in the Uintas the ward was having the annual Father Kids campout.  Since I felt a bit cheated over our short trip to the West Fork of Black's Fork - we were in.  At least Alex, Dede, and I were in (sorry D - maybe next year).  The campsite was up past Oakley in the Smith Morehouse part of Weber Canyon, close enough to justify another trip.

We had a great time. Alex didn't puke this year. Kennedy wasn't the only girl. In fact, the kids had tons of friends to play with. I loved it because I had a lot of "guy" time with the other dads. It really is a fun tradition and I'm glad we were able to make it.

And the best part of all - no RAIN!!!

Rained Out

I guess you could say our camping trip didn't end up the way we had planned.

We love camping in the Uintas.  The cool nights, the warm days, the wonderful views, and the remoteness of it all add up to one of our favorite places.  We had planned our annual camping trip for the past few months.  We had the raft, the tents, the food, the gear, everything was set for a great trip.

The only problem was the weather wouldn't cooperate with us.  When we first arrived the wind was blowing - hard.  Still, we managed to set up our tents and enjoyed our night around the camp fire.  We knew things would change and the winds would die down.  Sure enough, the morning saw the winds disappear.  Unfortunately, the winds were the precursor to the storm.

It started innocently enough.  A light sprinkle while the kids and I were down throwing rocks into the river.  When we came back to camp it was raining a little harder and we shifted to the tents.  It was fun.  Lots of games and a little wrestling.  Still, the rain was coming down steadily and it wasn't getting any lighter as the clouds continued to settle in.  Things were looking pretty bleak.

After several hours of waiting out the storm it got to the point where we were asking ourselves: Is it worth it?  Here we are with 5 kids and 3 adults huddled in a tent trying to stay warm.  We knew the storm couldn't last forever, but it had certainly lasted long enough.  We packed up the tent and gear and then - it stopped raining.  Of course, it stopped raining after we were done packing.  The trip was over, a little wet and way too early.  Still, I think everyone had a smile on after we got home.....

Here are a few of our favorite pics:

Backyard Camp Out

Ever since we bought our new tent the kids have been dying to sleep out in the backyard. Due to the fact I had the day off for the holiday weekend it seemed like the perfect time to rough it outside. So we invited over the cousins and to the backyard we went. I don't know how much sleep anyone got, but we had a great time in the tent.

Entrada

A few months ago I was asked to participate in a weekend retreat down in Moab for work. This sounds like a no brainer, right? Then, the pot got even sweeter as the retreat involved GPS activities so each participant would be getting a GPS. Can this get any better? Finally, the word retreat was a bit misleading because the training was to be held at the Entrada Field Station and there wasn't any lodging. This was camping. For some that may have been a deal breaker, but you know that doesn't bother me.

The trip was great. We had a wonderful group of teachers and other technology trainers from around the state. Most of the people I already knew and it was a fantastic chance to make some new friends with those I just met. I have to say that you really get to know someone as you sit around a campfire together. I've been in a lot of meetings with the trainers, but there's nothing to compare with sharing stories by the open flame. It was awesome.

As part of our training we went around the ranch and created various maps using the the GPS to mark coordinates. Our groups split up and identified pioneer dwellings, fence lines, irrigation paths, and more. I know that part doesn't sound that exciting, but it is a great example of the power of GPS and GIS (a mapping software). I know the managers of the ranch were very appreciative of our efforts and they hope it's an example of future projects that can take place at Entrada.

One of the crazy parts of the weekend was the fact that we had electricity and wireless Internet out there in the middle of nowhere. How often can you say you were checking your fantasy football team while laying in a tent one hour away from a paved road? It was new for me, but a nice way to "rough it" in the desert.