Hiking adventures in Utah

I hiked the Y this morning. It's been on my list of things to do. Growing up in this area you'd think I would have hiked Timp, visited Timp Cave or hiked the Y as a kid. I did none of those until the last few years. Each one was a different adventure.

Going into Timp Cave with Riley and a group of students was fine until the walls started closing in and I felt nauseous. The guide asked if I have claustrophobia, which I only developed in the last six years or so. I said yes and she said to come walk at the front with her. I did and was fine for the trip through the cave.

Hiking up to the top of Timpanogos was another adventure. Riley and I decided to make a two-day trip out of it so he carried a tent and we each carried sleeping bags and food. It took about seven hours to get to where we camped because we stopped to take pictures of moose, flowers and other natural wonders. (And to rest.) We found a great place to camp off the trail and ate tortillas with peanut butter on them (a Riley camping delicacy) before we turned in. We heard people passing by in the wee morning hours. Crazy people. We stashed our gear the next morning and headed out for the top. We photographed mountain goats just above our heads on the trail. Riley let me set the pace and we took several hours to get to the top. Just before reaching the summit I tweaked my knee and it hurt a little but I made it to the very windy top of Timp. We wrote our names in the book in the shack and I called people on my cell phone. It was an amazing view from the top and we spent about a half hour there. As we started down I knew my knee was going to give me troubles. More than an hour into heading down I was popping ibuprofen trying to ease the pain. I didn't think I'd be able to get off the mountain and wondered if helicopters flew in to rescue hikers with bad knees. After a long time of barely walking, taking meds and praying for help, I saw the most wondrous site. Someone had dropped a knee brace at the edge of the trail. I kid you not. I looked up at the skies with an "are you kidding me" look. I sat down and slipped it on and continued down the mountain, still in pain but a little steadier and faster with the brace. A miracle.

The hike today was with friends Tamela Blake and her kids Tiffany, Tyler and Julia and Sondra Hudgens and her daughter Nora. Julia is five, just my speed, and needed breaks often, bless her. It was fun to sit at the top of the Y and look out over the valley. You really get a different perspective of the places you go every day and I was reminded of how beautiful this valley is with Utah Lake, the mountains on both sides and all the trees! The valley is covered in lush, green trees.

It's not really that difficult of a hike but coming down my knee reminded me why it doesn't like downhill slopes. Since we didn't have far to go I knew I'd make it but it reminded me of the prayers I said on Timp and the amazing answer to those prayers. Small but simple things.