Thursday, July 9, 2009

Squaw Peak

It was Margo's birthday a few weeks ago and for her birthday we hiked Squaw Peak. I remember the first time I hiked it was over two years ago, and I was in good shape. It was spectacular. We started in the evening and so when we got to the top the moon and stars were shining and we could see all of the lights in Utah Valley and the glow of lights from Salt Lake Valley. I loved it.

Todd and I were dating or engaged at the time so I wanted to impress him by keeping up with the group, breathing easy, and offering to carry the backpack. The group was Todd's brother and his wife, Todd's sister and her husband, and Todd's Dad: all in very good shape, so we were no slow-pokes. I'd have to say that I did a pretty good job keeping up.

This time was quite amazing, too. I loved the sunshine, the sounds of nature, the fresh air, the company, the meadow full of beautiful yellow flowers, the one random apple tree along the path and of course the hiking treats and lunch. Todd's Dad prepared the most delicious lunch and packed it all up the mountain! He even packed a birthday tiara and birthday hats. It was the prime hike.

This is all of us in the meadow of yellow flowers. It was an amazing sight--much more beautiful than these pictures give it credit.
(Lisel and Chris)(Todd and I)
(Steven and Margo)
(Here we are with the birthday girl at the top!)
However, two years and one birth later I'm in . . . a different shape and the post-hike experience was a much more painful one than I remembered. Todd and I were in a bit of a hurry to get down the mountain so we practically ran the whole way down. My knees ached for 5 days, my quads were sore for about 3 days, and hoofing it up our 3 flights of stairs was quite the sight. I felt like an old lady!! But now that I feel normal again I'm almost tempted to do it over again--kind of like having a baby. All in all, it was GREAT!

(Tip: If you hike to Squaw Peak, watch out for the caterpillar colonies. They're all over the place! Yuck!!)

1 comment:

Becky said...

looks like a lot of fun. i'm sad zac and i missed all th nirthday festivities. sounds like she had a great birthday. hope you guys are having a great summer.