Mt Timpanogos

I climbed this Mountain! I have to make a detailed documentation of my climb. It is an experience I never want to forget nor do I ever want to repeat.

Sterling, Marily, Jared, Melanie, Mike and I started our hike at 7:15am. We took the trail from aspen grove which is paved the first mile and a half. This made the trail easy to follow but man was it steep, I was wearing my jacket and carrying one of our heavy backpacks so by the time we hit the first waterfall I was breathing heavy and sweating.

We drank some water and took some pictures then continued on...

The next 4 1/2 miles all run together to me. Mile 3 and 4 seemed to be paths dirt, trees and some rock. We passed a few more waterfalls which was fun.

(The Girlies)

Mike used a box of cheerios to set us a path for the way back. The view was incredible hiking up. When you looked down you saw a sea of greenery. We could even pick out the cabin we were staying in at Aspen Grove.

When we passed under one waterfall Mike wanted to wash off his hands, this ended in his slipping and falling on his bum into the water. His pants had a huge dirty wet spot on them for a while which made us all laugh (which we needed.)

By the time we hit miles 5 and 6 the terrain was a lot more rocky and the air was getting harder to breath. Our water supply was starting to shrink and I was really starting to feel weak. I already had a blister on my foot and was trying really hard not to complain.

At about mile 5.7 we hit the prettiest grove of wild flowers. It was also pretty flat which made it easier to enjoy. This pretty wild flower field lead us to Emerald Lake (this is the lake right below the no tree line and only about a mile and a half to the summit.) When you get to the lake this is your view to the top of the mt. if you look close you can see the tiny white hut on top.

When we reached the lake it was so beautiful!

The bad thing was the wind was blowing and it was so cold. We ate our lunch in a little shed the provided shelter from the wind. (If you look you can see out little sanctuary.)

(The "Kids" infront of the lake and the glacier)

(My lovey and I)

(Jared and Marily freezing at the top)

(Super Women!)

There was a lot of discussion over just how far we all wanted to go at this point. We had already been hiking 4 hours and had another 2 till we hit the summit. Jared and Marily decided they had accomplished their goal (6 miles up and back is a lot harder than it sounds) so they headed back down. I was sure I couldn't make the summit but thought it might be nice to reach the saddle. This would give me a breath taking view and make me feel accomplished. So the four of us continued on up the Mt. Our next patch of the hike was basically a field of rocks. We saw a lot of Mt Goats "Sunbathing" on the rocks. The fact that those animals live in the mountains is so odd to me.

Anyways, then the "fun" began. We hit a dirt and rock patch which we had to climb hand over foot. We hit one patch that was 15yards or so of loose rock and dirt. This was so hard/scary to climb because you couldn't get a great grip on the dirt. My shoes kept sliding and I thought I was done for. Dad and Mel had completed this part and were sitting on a rock right above the steep part. Mike told me that once we reached them we would stop. Then when we got to them we were so close to the saddle (and not in a hurry to go back down the way we came) that we pressed on. It was worth it of course because the view from the saddle was pretty awesome.

From a girl who is afraid of heights I could still appreciate the sight. I was feeling pretty accomplished and ready to be done at this point. BUT the only thing scarier than continuing to the top was going back the way we came. So.. we said a prayer and pushed on... (This is what we had to look forward to. Mt Doom! You can see some of the swich back path you have to follow.)

The last 40 min was pure torched for me and my fear of heights. The lack of oxygen was making me a little dizzy every once in a while and it was harder to breath. The trail was scary with maybe only 18 inches to walk on as a path. I was literally hanging onto the rocks for dear life and playing the "don't look down game." I do have to say I have never loved my husband more than I did at this point. He was soo sweet to me, holding my hand and encouraging me the whole way. He was my rock and the only reason I survived. We hit one part where we had to climbed for a while and really thought we were almost to the top. But by the time we reached the top of that we saw we still had a ways to go. Just imagine walking on the side of a mountain with only enough room for your feet on the trail. NO ONE TOLD ME IT WOULD BE THAT CRAZY! This was my first hike every and no one told me it was going to be like that! A lot of praying and hymns were running through my head the whole time. But then finally ... we reached the top.

I don't know what feeling was more overwhelming. Knowing what a huge feat I had completed or knowing it wasn't over and know i had to go back down the mountain. A few weeks prior our friends Dave and Liz Jensen went on the same family vacation to Aspen Grove and hiked to the top of Timp. They left us a note at the top of the mt that was a welcome distraction. Thanks guys!

(The view)

(This doesn't come close to doing it justice.0

(Breath taking)

(Proof that we really did reach the summit!)

(So proud of eachother. I don't think there are much better ways to strength a marriage than to be in a life or death situation with eachother.)

Obviously not wanting to go back the way we came we took a different route. We walked a crossed the mt down some switchbacks and came to a canyon area. As we were walking I noticed I had gotten a small cut and was leaving a trail of blood on the rocks I was touching. I was glad to know we would soon be back at Emerald Lake. Funny that the next part was the best for me but the part were the most people get hurt. We slid very slowly down 100ft of rocks and dirt. Then once we did that we had to slide down a 300 yard steep glacier. It was probably so easy for me because of my sweet husband. He was in front and he would slide and then use his strength to stop himself so he didn’t go too far, too fast. Then I would slide down and he would stop me. I had one foot in front to steer, one foot further back to break as much as I could then I put my hands in my jacket sleeves and used them to help stop me. I was lucky. The other three in my group didn’t do as well. Dad hit a rock coming down and got a 4 inch cut in his bottom. Mel wore shorts so she was pretty much sliding down on her bear bottom. Mike had a short sleeve shirt on so his hand were in the snow the whole time freezing and numb. By the time he was able to feel them again he noticed his wedding ring had fallen off. It is now frozen in the glacier for all time (on to ring 3 in not even 2 years.)

After sliding down we still has a far ways to walk on the snow but this was much easier than anything else we had done thus far. I was so happy to be off that huge Mt side and at the lake I forgot how much work going down would be. The first mile was pretty easy because we were all in this state of euphoria from making it to the top and living to tell about it. But the last 5 miles coming down were tough in their own ways. You couldn’t walk with your toes in front because your toenails would dig into your toes and hurt so you had to walk funny. Then there was the part about your whole body being numb. I’m not sure how we all made it back down. It had to have been 100% muscle memory. We ran out of water and against out better judgment started drinking water from the waterfalls and streams. We were happy to find a single cheerio of the 100’s Mike left for us earlier that day. I was so happy to hit the paved part of the trail and even happier to be DONE. It was 5:15pm we had been hiking for 10 hours! When we got to the bottom we saw a sign warning us that without proper hiking shoes or if you weren’t and experienced hiker you wouldn’t enjoy the hike. They were right, but only to some degree. I hated being so high and feeling so scared. But to know that I did it, is so amazing. As Dave and Liz said “It’s the coolest thing I’ve never do again!”