ZIONS!!!!

Okay people, I really did just about forget about this blog. I am terrible. Rob did a good job of doing a few little posts here and there. But I am back! However, I can't promise I will be consistent. But hey, when I post, I do a big post :)
Last weekend Rob and I went to Zion National Park with our friends, Clint and Kelli Hansen. It was a wonderful weekend. We left after work on Thursday (Clint works at the firm too). On our way, Rob got an email from work (because he is never far from his email providing phone) and we laughed that maybe when Rob said he would be away for the weekend they would contact Clint to do the work. Yikes, maybe two associates shouldn't go on trips together. One always needs to be available :)
We didn't get to the campsite until almost midnight. Clint and Kelli's friends, Jan and Lee, had arrived a few hours before us and were asleep in their tent. We sent up our tents as quickly as we could and went to sleep.
The next day (after I had slept on a deflated therma-rest all night, someone forgot to screw mine shut when he screwed his shut) was the big hike day. We ate a quick breakfast and were off. We did the West Rim Trail hike. It is a 14 mile hike that takes you around the rim of Zion's Canyon and shows off some great views. You dip down into some hollows and climb back out and then the hike ends at Angels Landing. Here are some pictures:



The hike took all day. We packed our lunches and ate on the trail. It was a great day. The hike was not too hard so we could really enjoy ourselves. I piled on the suncreen (as usual) but I got some in my eyes early on and that was uncomfortable. That night when I took my contacts out it stung so bad and I couldn't open my eyes for a while. We had foil dinners that night with sweet potatoes, beef stew meat, cabbage, onions and carrots. It was really yummy.
Our campsite had showers so we all took advantage of that. That night we slept well. We were really tired. The next day we did Hidden Canyon. It is straight up (like most of the hikes in Zions). It's pretty crazy. You walk right along the edge. Rob did some research and found out that more people have died on that hike than on any other in Zions. But at the top there is a beautiful hidden canyon and you can walk up it for miles. More pictures:





We ate lunch after Hidden Canyon and Jan and Lee headed home. Clint, Kelli, Rob and I went to the Narrows. It was closed because of high water. We did the Riverwalk hike which takes you to the beginning of the Narrows and we walked back down the river in the water. It was so cold!! My feet were aching because of the cold. But it was the perfect way to end all of our excursions.
We went into Rockville to the Dreamcatcher Bed & Breakfast. It was very nice. We highly recommend it. We got cleaned up and went out to dinner and relaxed. What a great weekend.
We went to sacrament meeting the next morning (after an awesome breakfast of blueberry pancakes and eggs and bacon) and drove home. My mom welcomed us back with her awesome homemade brown bag apple pie.
I don't know if this is going to sound right or be conveyed in the right way, but it is weekends like that one that make me feel so excited about everything that is to come in Rob and my's life. I don't know, there is something about hiking and talking and being with Rob all day and ponderng as you hike and conversing with friends and .... I was just reminded this weekend that we are so blessed and we are very grateful.