Thursday, July 24, 2008

Uinta Camping Highlights

Nathaniel, Grant, and I went camping with my family in the Uinta Mountains this weekend. It was one of the best camping trips ever!

1. Eaten by mosquitoes
Tenille's mosquito bites: 27
Days of itching: 3
Camping memories: eternal

2. Trying out our new baby backpackHours searching for backpack: 12
Number of stores visited: 15
Exploring nature with our son: priceless















3. Hiking Bald Mountain
Elevation: 11,943 (highest peak in the western Uintas)
Round-trip miles: 4
View at the top: breathtaking

4. Spotting Ute Ladies' Tresses (Spiranthes diluvialis)
Number of Ute Ladies' Tresses in the world: ??? but they're a threatened orchid
Number of Ute Ladies' Tresses we spotted: approximately 50
Nat's excitement: unparalleled
(F.Y.I. Nat would love to study the evolution of different orchid species at Penn State.)
5. Finding a nesting Bald Eagle on our hike to Hoover Lake
Number of Bald Eagles: ??? also threatened
Miles to the lake: 2
Times I said I would miss the Utah Mountains: infinitely many

9 comments:

David and Amy said...

I love the Uintas! You saw some amazing stuff. That baby backpack was a great find.

Candace said...

I'm so jealous!
btw, baby backpacks have really come a long way in 27 years. Did Grant have AC in that thing too??

Jenn said...

You guys are SO brave!!! I've been telling Ben that we WILL go camping, just as soon as our youngest child is not sleeping in a crib. And Henry never lasted more than 45 minutes or so in our baby carrier. Maybe we need a cool backpack like yours. Dang, that looks nice. I agree though -- the mountains are one of the things we miss the most, as much as I love the greenness of the East coast. We have yet to find a decent hike, although maybe that's okay for us since Henry is now old enough to insist on walking, and that can be pretty slow going. Anyway, looks like you had a great time! I'm jealous!
Jenn
P.S. Your hair looks fabulous. I love that picture with you and Grant and the pack. So cute!

Lori said...

Hey Tenille! Somehow I found your blog and I love it! You have such a creative way of writing and it makes it way fun to read. And Grant is so cute! I'm jealous that you got to go camping. The most camping we've done this year is a fancy cabin with some friends. Fun, but not the same. We had one of those backpacks for Adia, but she is too heavy and would rather hike. Sometimes it's much easier when you can just strap them in and hand them something to hold on to.

Becca said...

wow, what an amazing trip! That baby backpack looks really cool. I've never seen anything like it! I'm so glad you enjoyed yourself so much, even with the bug bites! (At least they only itched for 3 days--my bites from Nauvoo last year itched for a week!) Great pictures! The Ute Ladies' Tresses are very pretty.

Kristen Crandall said...

The last picture is the first full body shot I've seen of you post-pregnancy! You're looking GREAT! It took me a full year to lose it all. Fun hiking trip. The first picture of the lake is AWESOME. It could win an award.

Meliss said...

Hey did you guys make it to "College Town" okay? :)
I'm excited to hear all about your trek across the country & your new home. Remember- Monday we're running!!

Jason & Natashia McLean Family said...

Wow what an awesome adventure... the orchid, bald eagle, highest mountain... wow looks like fun! Just like summer should be!

Charity said...

I can't tell you how much I miss the Utah mountains and I'm just in ID! Just looking at your pictures created a longing...