Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Reason #3: I have learned to appreciate all my hometown has to offer


Not many people can experience every kind of outdoor fun we have in Utah by merely driving one to four hours in every direction. Last weekend I decided to get in at least one more outdoor adventure before the winter steals the warmth away for a season.

Since my hiking boots purchased ten years ago are still far from being broken in, I figured it was time for a quality hike that was long enough to put some wear and tear into my shoes and give me a good workout. Needless to say, my calves are still being reminded of the joyous adventure 4 days later. But... we took our time on the trail so we could enjoy the day, and had some lunch at the top, which allowed enough time to prepare for the trek back down.

We hiked up to Lake Blanche. Blanche was the name on the birth certificate for my favorite cabbage patch doll I got for Christmas 20 years ago, and it didn't seem to do the lake justice either. Nonetheless it was a beautiful hike. It was just long enough to take up a good chunk of my Saturday and give me a great workout, but not so long I was regretting it halfway up the mountain.

I truly had forgotten what treasures lay just up the canyon from my apartment. By the time we got to the top of the trail we could see the Salt Lake Valley on one side of us, look down at three beautiful lakes in a charming little valley, and still look up to the jagged snow-capped ridges above us. It was a little windy, but in the calm moments there was a beautiful reflection of the trees and snowy ridges on the lake surface. Perfect. I could spend every Saturday just like this.


1 comment:

Jer and Cam said...

The pictures in this post are so beautiful! Those views must have been breathtaking. Your post reminded me that we need to get out and do some hiking. Hiking season is just opening here (haha)! Even though we don't have the mountains you do, there are still some really cool trails to explore. Thanks for the reminder!