Our time in Utah came to an end waaaay faster than I expected. So, sorry all you people who we thought we'd get to hang out with. Seriously.
It hadn't been that long since I'd last visited Utah, but this time we were up in Lehi so it was a little different than Provo. The main thing I was struck by was that I kept thinking I saw people I knew from my days at the BYU. Then I realized that no, people in Utah just share 80% of their genes with other Mormons, so they only resemble half the people I knew in college.
OK, I'm exaggerating a little, but it is true that everyone looked vaguely and almost creepily familiar and I had to do a double-take many times to confirm that it was not my old friend so-and-so. Part of the confusion also comes from the fact that hair and clothing styles in Utah Valley are very, shall we say, homogenous, so you really do have to look close to catch out any actual acquaintances.
In other Utah news, we really enjoyed our visit. Jeremy's sister tended the girls for an astounding 8 hours so we could climb Mt. Timpanogos together. It was so glorious. The last time we climbed Timp was in 2001 when we were dating. This time, we got up at 4.30 and started climbing while it was still dark. For a long time, we hiked together, just the two of us, in darkness and quiet, except for occasionally jangling the car keys to avoid surprising bears (really).
We made it to the very top this time, instead of stopping at the saddle like last time, but you know what? I never want to go all the way to the top again. To the saddle, the enjoyment vs. suffering vs. sense of achievement ratios are just about in equilibrium. If you continue another difficult 45 minutes to the summit, those factors get all out of whack. I'll leave you to figure out which one skyrockets (hint: it's SUFFERING). Next time I climb Timp, I'm stopping at the saddle. The view is just as good, after all.
And for anyone who's been wondering for years which route to the top is the easiest (like I have), I can now tell you from personal experience that it's the Timpooneke trail. Glad that's settled.
We're in Idaho now. Only one stop besides this one is left in our Summer of Progress.
It hadn't been that long since I'd last visited Utah, but this time we were up in Lehi so it was a little different than Provo. The main thing I was struck by was that I kept thinking I saw people I knew from my days at the BYU. Then I realized that no, people in Utah just share 80% of their genes with other Mormons, so they only resemble half the people I knew in college.
OK, I'm exaggerating a little, but it is true that everyone looked vaguely and almost creepily familiar and I had to do a double-take many times to confirm that it was not my old friend so-and-so. Part of the confusion also comes from the fact that hair and clothing styles in Utah Valley are very, shall we say, homogenous, so you really do have to look close to catch out any actual acquaintances.
In other Utah news, we really enjoyed our visit. Jeremy's sister tended the girls for an astounding 8 hours so we could climb Mt. Timpanogos together. It was so glorious. The last time we climbed Timp was in 2001 when we were dating. This time, we got up at 4.30 and started climbing while it was still dark. For a long time, we hiked together, just the two of us, in darkness and quiet, except for occasionally jangling the car keys to avoid surprising bears (really).
And for anyone who's been wondering for years which route to the top is the easiest (like I have), I can now tell you from personal experience that it's the Timpooneke trail. Glad that's settled.
We're in Idaho now. Only one stop besides this one is left in our Summer of Progress.