Michael and I drove back via Yellowstone from our Montana backpacking trip/family reunion yesterday [Saturday]. I know it is extremely cliche to say, but I really do need a vacation to recover from my vacation. One day [Sunday] will have to be enough. I've already managed to clean the house top to bottom [my mom is in town], do two loads of laundry, make the bed, plant some corn, and now write in my blog...all on 8 hours of uninterrupted, blissful sleep. Ahh, it's good to have a mattress.
Arnold-pose, 10,607 feet up
The Mt. Haggin trip was my first backpacking experience, and [not surprisingly to me] I really liked it! For a few months prior I had been focusing on stair-stepper type cardio at the gym, which definitely helped me up the mountain. I surprised myself when I was the first person to the summit, despite our late start that morning [granted, Michael and I don't have kids to tend to]. If I had slept better, I would have enjoyed the camping aspect more, but that was my own fault for not packing a sleeping pad. I admittedly get a little anxious when I'm around so many in-laws, but conversation flowed more seamlessly than I anticipated, and overall the trip was undoubtedly a success. I don't plan on it being my last backpacking trip!
View of Mt. Haggin from our campsite
I counted my calories out in dates for the three days, and then added more just in case. I also had made some granola bars and brought celery and sugar snap peas. I wish I had brought one more package of celery, because it really helped me eat the dates I needed to replenish the calories I had burned. At home I would usually make datorade [blended dates with water], but of course I didn't have that luxury in the mountains. Michael's grandpa knows how much I'm obsessed with sundried tomatoes and brought me two zip-lock bags full from his garden! It was perfect; after eating a sweet meal of dates with no salad, I definitely wanted my savory fix.
Even though Michael and I were both whipped from sleep deprivation, we managed to navigated our way through Yellowstone and make some good memories. I can see myself spending lots of time there, if given the chance. It's almost like you are transported to another world, uninterrupted by human touch [ignoring the roads and bathrooms of course]. Gigantic bison roam the fields, elk gently graze on the ground cover, and even the occasional grizzly meanders by, obliviously. A thunderstorm was on our tail the whole time, so whenever we stopped to look at the steaming hot pots or marvel at a bear, it wasn't long before a tiny tinkle turned into a violent downpour, forcing us back into the safety of our car.
We found a place to eat as the sun went down, and then slept restlessly in the car in Jackson, WY. We backtracked around 6AM back up to the Tetons to watch the sunrise before heading home to Salt Lake.
Sunrise over the Tetons
Michael getting his sleep fix on, first thing
Even though Michael and I were both whipped from sleep deprivation, we managed to navigated our way through Yellowstone and make some good memories. I can see myself spending lots of time there, if given the chance. It's almost like you are transported to another world, uninterrupted by human touch [ignoring the roads and bathrooms of course]. Gigantic bison roam the fields, elk gently graze on the ground cover, and even the occasional grizzly meanders by, obliviously. A thunderstorm was on our tail the whole time, so whenever we stopped to look at the steaming hot pots or marvel at a bear, it wasn't long before a tiny tinkle turned into a violent downpour, forcing us back into the safety of our car.
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