July 13, 2014

life elevated

"Everything the light touches is our kingdom" -Mufasa

After living in Utah for almost two years, I've realized just how little I have really seen of this great state. "Trust me, I"m not a big nature girl" (name that movie!), but I made it a goal this summer to be more outdoorsy and visit some of Utah's finest destinations. I started by tackling the second highest summit of the Wasatch Moutains: Mt. Timpanogos, elevation: 11,749 ft. Me, Yuki, and two new friends Daniel and Kayleigh began the 15 mile hike at 1 A.M. in order to reach the peak by sunrise. I don't think I would have been able to hike this at any other time of day, tbh. Hiking in the dark removes the psychological effect of seeing just how steep and tough the rest of the trail is ahead of you. Walking blindly gives you no indication of how much longer you have to go, so you just keep going. The last hour of the hike to the peak was the coldest and toughest since the trail turned into mostly loose rock and required legitimate rock climbing, but we made it to with two minutes to spare before the 6:07 A.M. sunrise. Those first five hours were definitely worth the absolutely incredible view.

sun at sunrise
moon at sunrise

After taking a quick nap on some rocks, we ventured back down the mountain, which was about a thousand times tougher for me than on the way up. It was hella treacherous on the rocks and occasional snow, not to mention significantly hotter in the daytime. However, it was amazing hiking down the same trail and actually looking around you this time at all of the #neature. UTAH IS RAD, GUYS. No really, there is an entire instagram account to prove it. It was crazy to look at my surroundings and back up to the peak thinking, "how in the world did I just hike that?!" Once the parking lot was in site I nearly collapsed from relief. We were all exhausted and yet exhilarated, so a trip to In-N-Out was definitely in order :) Alhough I will probably not hike Timp again for a LONG time, it was definitely one of the coolest things I've ever done and made me even more grateful for my opportunity to attend school in this incredible place. For the beauty of the Earth, y'all. 
blinded/oranged by the sunrise
leaving our mark in the little hut at the summit
WE DID IT!
running through fields of wildflowers was easily my favorite part of the hike
dem colors doe

OKAY UTAH, I SEE YOU.