My 101st Post! ~ Heasley Adventures!!

So, some of us (me) in the Heasley family have a goal to be a fantastic cook. There's nothing better than making a goal, then doing something small to really feel like you are on your way.

For example: I LOVE pizza. It's my 2nd favorite food. I didn't think it sounded too hard. After all, I made mini pizzas with my mom and sister when I was little. I felt like it was defintiely time to graduate to real pizza.

The result:

Tyler was pretty excited. So was I. (Note the salad in the background. My two favorites!! Salad and pizza. Sometimes I spoil myself.)

We Heasleys like to challenge ourselves sometimes. . . and climb mountains!

Like this one! (I was trying to get a picture of the goal. The sun is kind of overpowering. . . but it is the sun, after all.)

I don't remember exactly when I decided that I wanted to climb to the top of Y mountain, but I did. I guess I just wanted to conquer a mountain.

So last weekend, Tyler and I set out to climb it. We packed water bottles, food, sunscreen, a pocketknife, chapstick, etc. and set out.

The hike to the Y was busy. There had been a Polynesian ward hike the Y activity just before we got there. So, as we were in our final stretches, the whole ward started coming down. I have never heard a mountain so loud! The whole ward was having a good time, and everyone was super friendly. "Only two more switchbacks!" "Good job!" "You're almost there!"

Finally, we made it.

This was the view that we had:

We rested for a few minutes, then continued on the journey to the top.

For a while, the hike was beautiful.

But then, it started to get a little more intense.

The trail became really tiny-- less than a foot across. But we travelled on, determined to reach the top.

Though my original intent was to reach the tip top and look down over Provo. . . we didn't quite make it.

After about three and a half hours of climbing, we reached a seemingly unending field of flower weeds that were as tall as we were. Bees and butterflies and flies were everywhere. In our hair, our eyes, our ears. . .

We were pretty sweaty, and getting very tired. And the bugs were making us cranky. And our arms and legs were being scratched by the grass/flowers/dead stuff that grew along the very small trail.

So we turned back. I looked around, declared ourselves on the top (just not the tippy top) and said, "Tyler, let's go. I need to go to the bathroom anyway."

So we began our descent. Tyler (who is in better shape than I am) was definitely having an easier go of going down the mountain. I, on the other hand, was slightly fearful. My legs were shaking, and I didn't think I would make it.

On top of that, I really needed a little ladies' room. And there were enough people passing us or catching up to us, that I KNEW that if I tried to answer this particular call of nature, more than mother nature would be answering.

About ten minutes from the Y, I called after Tyler to slow down, and missed my step. My foot landed in a soft bed of dirt, and I began to slip.

Luckily, the rest of me was on the trail enough that as the dirt I misplaced fell down the mountainside, I did not go with it.

But I was bleeding quite a bit. Tyler rushed over, and I grabbed a water bottle to try and get as much dirt out as possible. I had thought to bring some band-aids and antisceptic wipes, so Tyler retreived them from our backpack, and I quickly tried to mop up the dirt and blood. (I knew one of us was going to be injured. . . and I knew that if one of us was, it would be me.)

Unfortunately, the band-aids wouldn't stick, so I chose to let my wound breathe a little as I continued the rest of the journey down.

Shakily, we hurried along the trail, trying to just finish our hike. There were times when I didn't think that I had it in me to keep going. We stopped and rested every few minutes so that our momentum going down wouldn't cause any more damage.

I had forgotten just how steep the trail to the Y is. It had been easier to run up the trail than walk, and the same is true for going back down. I found myself feeling more than a little scared as I tried to maintain control of my speed going down the mountain. Many times, I was grateful for the fence alongside different parts of the trail to catch on to in order to stop myself from going too fast.

Finally, we made it to the bottom (where the bathrooms are). I joyfully, and tiredly, trudged to the bathrooms-- only to find them toilet-paper, paper-towel, and usable-leaf free.

With that disappointing (but not surprising) end to our morning, Tyler and I walked to the car, and drove home.

(Showering never felt so good.)

All in all, it was a very fun morning. Exhausting, life-threatening, painful, exciting, and fun morning.

After all, I consider my goal accomplished (even if the mountain proved to be superior).