The Little Walk That Turned Into a Big Walk

So tonight we decided to take a little walk to the nearest branch of our public library.  This is the approximate route we planned to take (approximate because the starting point isn't actually our home address, but it gives a good enough idea of routes and distances):


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So yeah, 1.7 miles and half an hour each way.  However, it turns out that we don't know those neighborhoods very well (especially on foot), and we didn't have a GPS with us, nor did we print out a map or write out any sort of directions.  So this is the the route we actually took to get there (scroll up a little so that the whole blue line is visible--it's not wanting to default to a good view):


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Yup, 3.9 miles and almost an hour and a half.  After we had walked so far south, we called the library to ask for directions.  And then turned around and walked the other way for a while.  We finally made it to the library with the DVDs we had checked out last week.  We had 15 minutes until the library closed to browse the shelves for more stuff to watch, and then began our trek home.  Rather than taking the direct route (whoops), this is how we came home:


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Yup, 2.2 miles.  And that was .5 miles more than it would have been if we had followed Jess' suggestion to turn left on Greensview instead of right.  Alas, my directional sense failed me tonight (where are you, mountains?) and I lengthened our expedition.  In order to pass the time, Jess had me tell her scary stories (because we were walking through dark neighborhoods without streetlights--what??).  The first was about large amounts of student loan debt.  The second was based on a story told around the campfire at scout camp by a good buddy of mine.  It was about a creepy dude named Stubbs, who lost his limbs from being run over by a train, then grew extremely long nails / claws out of those stubs.  He runs around on all fours and is just in general a scary character.

So our trip that was supposed to be about 3.4 miles total and a little over an hour and a half turned into a 6 mile journey that took three and a half hours.  Yikes.

Super Special Thursday Post!

Here it is!

Item the second:  some weeks ago, I went to a picnic dinner up the canyon with some family and a few friends.  We had some yummy rotisserie chicken, rolls, jello salad, etc.  After we ate, we did a little geocaching (and found the cache, because dad is so good at it) and walked past a small reservoir on our way back to our picnic site.  My brother and I had been looking for and collecting flat rocks for skipping on the water.  After we finished tossing our rocks, my dad proposed a competition (as he is prone to do).  Floating about 40 or 50 feet out on the water was a line of white pipes, which help block detritus from flowing down the spillway and continuing to wherever the water goes.  The challenge was to find five rocks and throw them at the floaters, and whoever hit the pipes would win.

Dad went first, slowly getting closer with each throw, but never quite getting there.  Then Jordan took his turn--his rocks landing just on either side of the floaters.  Jeff, a family friend, went next and hit the pipes with one of his tosses.  Then it was my turn.  I hit it with three of my five rocks, and ended up with the high score.  I was very proud of myself

Since We're Back

I figure that, being back in Utah now, it is an appropriate time to share the following pictures / events from before the move.

Item the first: Hikes!  My sister Mandy and I went up Big Cottonwood Canyon to the Mill D trailhead back early May (I think).  This trailhead leads to both Dog Lake (~1.5 miles) and Desolation Lake (~3.5 miles).  We had planned to go to Dog Lake because we didn't have a lot of time, and began our trek up towards the lake.  About 100 feet up the trail, we met the first patch of snow, followed by more dirt trail, followed by another snow patch, etc.  Eventually we got to a point where everything was covered by snow that was at least 3 or 4 feet deep.  The temperature up there was perfect--nice and cool, but not too cold.  Unfortunately, hiking through snow is significantly more difficult than just a trail.

Nothing there to provide scale, but trust me, it was deep.

After arriving at the junction where the trails to Dog and Desolation Lakes diverged, we decided to turn around.  And it turned out that hiking downhill in snow is even tougher than hiking uphill.  About every eighth step, we sank five or so inches into the snow.  

After a couple more months, Mandy was back in town and we decided to go hiking again, and make it one of the lakes.  Kelli didn't have work that day, so she came along with us for an extra fun sibling activity.  No snow on the trail this time, which was very nice.  After arriving at the junction, we decided to push on to Desolation Lake.  It was a beautiful day and the trees were gorgeous--perfect conditions for a morning hike.  We all got a little tired towards the top, but were really happy when we arrived at the lake.

We only saw one other person up at the lake, but he was crazy enough that he was worth it.  Dude seemed like a pretty outdoorsy fellow--was toting around a large backpack that looked well provisioned--but had disobey several posted signs that prohibit pets (because it's a watershed area).  He had his dog with him and tried to keep it hidden as he packed up.  He didn't stick around long once we arrived.

We had a great time together and loved being up there.  And for now, this is where we finish because it's almost 11:30 which is like 1:30 for my body clock.  Not to mention that we had a long day yesterday (more about that in Sunday's post).  More mountainy stuff to share, and it may show up tomorrow in a super special Thursday post.