For the Beauty of the Earth

Yesterday after work, Brock and I headed out for a backpacking trip in the Uintas. It was divine. Definitely the most idyllic getaway we've ever taken . . . and it was free!

After grabbing some fuel (read: a frosty and chicken nuggets) at Wendy's, we set off into the wild blue yonder with our packs and Mojo. On a run together last week, we saw the most beautiful campsite. It was high up in the mountains with no other campsites around, the ground was flat and mostly soft dirt (perfect for a tent), there was a great firepit and a natural source of pure mountain water that burbled up from the ground twenty feet away. Right when we saw this place, we knew we had to come back.

As one might expect, you don't get to a place this ideal without a haul. It's about four miles up the mountain, and 3.5 of those are uphill. No exaggeration. Add a 30-pound pack on your shoulders, and you've got quite the workout. We were a little worried that the campsite would be taken, but when we rolled in at sunset we were delighted to see that that wasn't the case :) I dropped my pack and set off into the woods to look for firewood while Brock set up camp. When I got back, we made a fire and heated up a can of thick, meaty chipotle chili for dinner. I am quite sure that NOTHING in this world tastes better than chili on a cool night after hours of hiking. We topped off our meal with s'mores (of course), washed up, and crawled into our tiny two-person tent.

It was a beautiful, cloudless night, so we didn't even put the rain cover on. This allowed us to gaze up at the stars through the mesh ceiling, and watch the bats flying overhead. The moon was beautiful and bright. We stayed up late talking about nothing, and right as we were about to drift off, we noticed a certain someone shivering at our feet. Being the sweetheart that he is, Brock let Mojo crawl into his sleeping bag. Mojo nuzzled right up to him and was asleep within minutes. Our lullaby was the breeze rustling through the aspens and the soft burble of the stream.

We woke up to birds chirping in the morning, and had cereal and OJ for breakfast. I'd stuck the milk and OJ in the stream the night before to keep them cold . . . another perk about having that cold, fresh mountain water so close! After eating, I headed out for a run while Brock broke camp. I went out for about an hour and it was breathtaking. The sun was streaming through the meadows below Mt. Timpanogos, and I felt like I had the whole mountain to myself.

I returned to camp to the sight of Brock laying down in the shade reading a book with Mojo by his side. We brushed our teeth, washed up (moist towelettes...LOVE 'EM), and headed back to civilization.

Not a bad way to start the weekend :)

Here's a photo album chock full of pictures...enjoy!