I'm lame...

because I take so darn long to post anything...
because I keep using, "my camera's broken" as an excuse...
because my phone takes terrible pictures...
and I didn't even make it to the top of Timp...


Brynnly was a really good sport and let me drag her out of bed at 6am on Labor Day weekend to hike Mount Timpanogos with me. Apparently, I wasn't the only one with the idea. When we got to the parking lot at Aspen Grove just before 7am it was already full! I guess Timp is a popular place to camp too.

Next time. Right Brynnly? So far she's the only one that's remotely entertaining the idea of camping up there. And I mean real camping. No parking the car a few feet away to store the ridiculous amounts of camping gear we own, and bring, every time. You want to sleep in a tent? That's at least 5 miles you'll have to pack it on your back. I think I'll consider sleeping under the stars so I can save my back and have plenty of room for a box of granola bars for breakfast/lunch/dinner. Funny thing, though, we passed a few boys on our way back down that were seriously packing a whole box of kudos up the mountain. They'd stopped to take a snack break, "Chocolate Chip, Snickers, or M&Ms?" I really wanted one and mentioned I could help lighten their load, but they didn't think I was really serious, "Ha, ha, you're funny, have a nice hike!" Or maybe they were just being selfish.

We made our way up the trail just as the sun was rising. It was beautiful. It had just started to rain, but only a light mist and it made the trail so dreamy. This would be Brynnly trying to illustrate dreamy:


And this is what happens when you don't condition yourself by hiking at least a few challenging hikes before attempting Timp. You're heart is racing after only 1 mile of moderate incline and your hand is too shaky to get a self-portrait with your camera phone. Either that, or I'm just an old lady. Oh yeah, that's right. I'm old. And very out of shape. Double whammy.


Despite the early hour, Brynnly was as chipper as ever:


After getting very damp from hiking through a constant mist all morning we got really cold just before we made it to Emerald Lake. That's when I realized we'd better take a picture of the summit, because I could hardly move my legs and Brynnly's smile was frozen in place. Which meant this was as close as we were going to get to the summit that day (if you look closely you might be able to see the tiny white shack that Brynnly is pointing to).



This shelter next to the lake (I just realized I never took a picture of the lake, doh!) was built back in the 50's and this is where we stopped for lunch and tried to warm up. The Timpanogos Emergency Response Team (TERT) camps out up here, but I was doing my best to avoid needing there assistance. They did end up helping us just a bit, but only because we passed a team of them on our way back down the trail as they were snacking on the gooseberries.
Jackpot. They were yummy, tart and pokey little things.


It's about 5 miles to the lake and about another 2 up to the summit, I think. Thanks to my lack of foresight to wear warm jackets to the top of a mountain, the fierce wind whipping at our cold bodies convinced us to call it good and head back down the mountain. Brynnly was happy to be heading away from the cold, until her hands started getting the feeling back into them I guess, because soon she was saying, "Oh man, I can't believe we didn't go all the way to the top so we could slide down the glacier!" I tried to remind her of our inability to move anything but our chattering teeth at some moments, but I could tell she was a little disappointed.

I apologize for my pathetic photography skills. This was my attempt to capture Brynnly, the glacier, and the lake all in one shot. Oh well.

So I plan to make it up to her next year. Hopefully I'll remember to do a few practice hikes by that time and to bring some warm jackets. And maybe a tent.
If you're going to be around next August you should join us!
This is definitely my favorite hike.
Ever.