TIMPANOGOS TREK

After living in Provo for over 3 years now, I finally had the opportunity to hike Mt. Timpanogos. I'd been anxiously awaiting this time for quite a while, and last Saturday morning the plans were finally put into action. I went with my friend Chad and some of his cousins and friends. After getting lost on the WAY to the parking lot (not a good sign) we started the hike a little before 6:00 AM. It was a BEAUTIFUL morning and the scenery was almost too much to handle. Wildflowers everywhere, along with clear streams and blue-blue skies. Wow. All seven of us made the trek in fairly good time, considering the occasional snowy trails that caused some slowing-down. :) We made it to the saddle (up the mtn, but not the summit) in about 3 hours, and took a break for some pb&j. After eating, Chad's cousin Roman took his girlfriend aside (Shaley) and proposed to her with the beautiful view...adorable. We had Martinelli's to celebrate and then continued up to the summit. It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL, and totally worth it. Despite the fact that I may have gotten a bit dehydrated and suffered some heat stroke afterward, I would most definitely do it again. If you live nearby and haven't hiked it yet - do it! It's pretty long, but you won't regret it. :)

Yep. This is what we climbed. All the way to the top of that peak. And this was after we'd already hiked over another mountain and through the valley. Dang.

Super-Chad carried 2 backpacks most of the way up - all the while, serving as our team leader. What a guy.

View from the saddle.

Roman and Shaley - right before he popped the question.

Making the final ascent to the summit - so fierce. Chad's eagle bandana pulled us through (that's quite the story...)

The top...

Me and cute Shaley.

Notice the orange bracelet. Candice and Rachel brought "team bracelets" for each couple/team for the hike. It was awesome. I believe team Chad-Tara dominated :)

The whole gang, chillin' up top.

We found a sweet hill to slide down that already had a bum-trail for us. Possibly a main highlight of the adventure. We got some serious speed, and stopping became a problem for a few of us. Just the perfect thing to cool off, though. :)

That hill...from far away.

Sidenote: My favorite thing was probably Chad's occasional challenge he'd yell at the mountain..."Is that all you've got, TIMPANOGOS!!??" Ha ha. Needless to say he kept us all entertained. What a day. :)