7.26.2011

My birthday weekend. *Start from the bottom and scroll up ;)

Prepare for total picture overload. And because it took so long just to upload photos, and I'm too lazy to rearrange all them you will have to read the post from bottom to top :)













Blowing out my birthday fire (sparklers and all, video to come later)





Finally back on flat ground

Doing my "mall speed walk" down the mountain




I farted. For the very first time in my life, I farted. I farted for the first time, in front of Jeff. I don't know how it just happened. Hiking strains the body and of course the second I realized what had happened I looked up and Jeff had already spun around and was looking and laughing at me. He of course had to take a picture to document the momentous occasion. Good thing too, cause it will never happen again! Not sure why I shared that...




Enjoying a little birthday call from Becky (my mother-in-law) @ the top








Tent sweet Tent



7 layer coconut bar. 4 thumbs up
Bonnaroo Buzz. 5 thumbs up!

All time top 10







Fat Franks. I'm sure you can guess what we had for lunch.


Jeff asked me what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go for my birthday and it came as no surprise to him when I said Camping! I have been begging to go since we were married but the time/weather/our schedules just were never compatible. This posed the perfect time/reason to go. So friday morning we packed up our gear and headed to Stowe, VT. The drive was gorgeous and Vermont was not a disappointment either, beautiful and green and the sweetest little quaint towns along the way. We stopped in Waterbury and toured none other than THE Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory, complete with some awesome spin art, a free sample of the batch of the day and yummy ice cream cones afterwards. It was so good, we might have even stopped on our way home too :) I'm not ashamed, it's my birthday!
We camped at Smugglers Notch campground and it was one of the best I've been too. We set up our sweet camp and enjoyed set out to enjoy the great outdoors for 3 days! Saturday we got up early and headed up to the Stowe ski lodge. We rode the gondola up to the lodge (not much of a lodge compared to the way we do it in Utah but still nice on a smaller scale) from there we hiked a mile up to the top of the highest peak in VT. At about 4,937 ft. it stands at the same elevation of our beloved SLC, strange to think about but fun none the less. We got some great pics, had a little picnic and then the wind started to blow and I was out of there. So we headed one mile down to the lodge and because we only bought a one way gondola ride, the only way down was another 2 mile hike down. Doesn't sound so bad but let me tell you what, it was steep. Really steep and by the time we got down our knees were swollen and here I sit 3 days later and it hasn't been easy. Ha Talk about sore quads.
Anyway, afterwards we gave ourselves a tour of the lodge and shops and then headed down the road to a natural spring watering hole some locals told us about to cool off and rinse the sweat away. It was so cold it took my breath away when I first jumped in but it felt so good! We finished our great day with some yummy hobo dinners in the fire and of course, SMORES!
Sunday after the second night of deafening rain we got up early to pack up and dry off our gear before packing up and taking the 4 hour trek back home.
Thanks to my sweet husband for a great weekend!