In my opinion, the best part about a Utah summer is that you can slip away into the mountains to avoid the heat. I like to hike, but Jason and his friends are strong enough to bike their way up. Here's Kevin Wong (a college friend and Justin's mission companion) at the top of Emigration Canyon.
From left to right: Jason, Justin's friend, Kevin, Justin, and Stephen James. Nice work, gentlemen!
On the hiking front, Christy and I went for the a gorgeous hike up to Mount Raymond via Butler Fork. We discovered a fantastic trail run between the turn off to the summit and Dogs Lake. I hope we get to do it again!
Told you it was pretty!
Christy works her way up the snow field.
Gorgeous vistas.
Back over to Dogs Lake. Such a rewarding hike! I heart the Cottonwoods.
Speaking of dogs, here are Annika and Eli hiking with Christy and Sir Pancakes. Ben and Christy have been housesitting in Provo this past summer, and Sir Pancakes is part of the package deal. He's really such a fun pup!
Our hike took us through Big Springs Hollow Loop at the top of Provo Canyon. The trail was pretty and family friendly, even if it did wear Sir Pancakes out a bit.
Not to worry, when Sir Pancakes got pooped, there were plenty of people to carry him.
Surprise! We hadn't expected to encounter horse. Annika was particularly delighted.
If you can measure fun in dirt, we had an amazing day. To celebrate, we picked up some pies from the Crust Club. Yum! Thanks for hiking with us, Christy.
Our next escapade: Bloods Lake. One afternoon Annika, Eli, and I packed up a paddleboard and set off in search of adventure.
I was super pleased by how easy it was to carry the paddleboard as a backpack.
As the thunder rolled dramatically during our hike up, I worried that we might be in for more adventure than I had bargained for.
In the end, we enjoyed a sun shower just as we arrived, followed by clear skies.
It was a pretty magical afternoon on the lake.
This cheeky chipmunk seemed to enjoy it as well. I kept having to hold my feet up for fear it would nibble my toes.
The trek back to the car. As we walked, thunder started to rumble in the distance once more, echoing through the mountains. Best sound ever.
Paddleboarding on Bloods Lake was such fun that we took the whole family again soon after, this time in the Uintas. (We missed Brooklyn, but she was off playing cello in Europe.)
Our four mile trail took us to three beautiful lakes: Fehr, Shepard and Hoover. Not wanting to lug our paddleboards farther than necessary, we paddled at the first lake, then stashed them away as we hiked to the other lakes.
It was only half a mile to the first lake, but by toting our SUP a little ways, we had the lake to ourselves.
Annika spent most of her time fishing.
Only downside was the bugs. So many!
But the views were absolutely worth it.
As is expected in the high mountains, the weather can change really fast. Hail!
Shepard Lake.
Catching a well-deserved snooze.
Hoover Lake. This would be another great place to backpack. The Uintas are filled with so many gems!
Last but not least, a sunset as seen from the top of Virginia Street.
I'm thankful for all the beauty in this world--near and far.
