A mountainous triumph!

At the summit.

The view of the summit from the base of the trail.

I flew from Albuquerque to Provo on Friday afternoon and found out that my brother and sister-in-law were hiking Mount Timpanogos early the next morning with some of our friends and neighbors.  Having grown up in Provo, I've always felt like hiking Timp was something I should have done in my life, so I immediately invited myself along.  I have never done anything remotely close to the intensity of the 22 mile hike from Timpanooke trailhead to the summit and back; and the hike was pretty hard--especially near the top.  However, I kept looking around at the others who were hiking that day (it was a very busy day on the mountain) and saw a number of young kids (~10 yrs) and a number of grandpa-aged hikers, so there was really no excuse for me not to make it to the top in one piece.  I seriously wanted to stop and rest about every three steps during that last stretch of the hike but was totally rejuvenated once I finally reached the summit.  What a view!  There were great things to see from all angles.  The trek down was much easier on my thighs, and it was also easier to appreciate the beautiful scenery.  This hike really has all kinds of terrain to hike through--flat, steep, wet, dry, rocky, dusty, hot, and cold.  There is so much variety and beauty throughout the whole hike.  It really was a rewarding and fulfilling experience.  I came home with purple, bruised toe nails and a couple of blisters but also returned with a whole new respect for the great mountain I grew up next to.  

Hiking up:

We had superb scenery to enjoy along the way.  

Half of our hiking group.  

My brother, Stephen, and his wife, Rachel.  I had such a good time with them!

Notice the amazing wildflowers.  They mountain was full of richly-colored hillsides--lots of blues, whites, reds and yellows.  

At the top:

Finally--I really made it!

Stunning views.

The glacier and Emerald Lake.

My kin and a view of Emerald Lake.  You can see Deer Creek in the background.

The view of the valley and Utah Lake.

Hiking down:

Notice how steep the glacier is.  

At first we were all having second-thoughts about coming down the mountain via the glacier.  It was extremely steep, and there was really no way to climb around it.  We watched a few people go down and get fairly worked.  Luckily, we were able to learn from their mistakes and made our way down safely.  It was actually a whole lot of fun and a quick way to cover a lot of ground!

We were quite wet at the end.  Luckily it was a beautiful day, and we dried quickly!

A view of the glacier (it's LONG!) and Emerald Lake.  

Two of the guys in our group decided to take a swim in these icy waters.  

Crazy.  Who wants to swim in a lake with chunks of ice floating in it?!

Relaxing.

Beautiful views along the way:

The end of our hike

We saw this moose right at the end of our adventure.

You know, in North Carolina I meet a lot of people who live and die for the beach.  I sure like the beach, but the mountains are much more a part of who I am.  For me, nature doesn't get more beautiful than the grandeur of mountains and valleys.