St. Mary's Glacier and Lake

Last weekend we got out of the heat and went up to the mountains. We went up to St. Mary's glacier and lake for a little hike, lunch, and just some fun hanging out. The lake is at almost 11,000 feet but there is only a short, but rocky, 1 mile hike to get up there. Most of the altitude is gained in the drive. It was gorgeous up there and the kids got a big kick out of seeing people hiking the trail with snowboards strapped to their back so they could ride down the glacier.

Drew wasn't too interested in walking on the glacier but Ethan had fun hiking up it with Kevin and the dogs and then sliding down.

It was pretty busy up there and Kevin and I got a good laugh when during lunch the boys both said they had to pee. We told them to go off in the trees somewhere to go to the bathroom. They walk off and a few seconds later I look and they are barely off the trail, pants down and peeing with their bare bottoms in plain sight. Silly kids.

Long weekend in Utah

A few weekends ago, we went down to Moab and then on to Capitol Reef National park where we met up with Kevin's parents, siblings, their spouses and children. It was a lot of fun to see everyone and my boys had a blast playing with their cousins.

Here is Drew and Ethan by the Colorado River on our way to Moab. It was so incredibly gorgeous there!

When we were in Moab, we hiked up to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. It was a fun hike and the arch itself was amazing. If you look very closely, that is Ethan and me underneath the Delicate Arch.

Once we arrived down in Torrey, we met up with all of Kevin's family. We were excited to meet our new niece, Amelia. Ethan fell in love with her and was so interested in what the baby was doing. He was also very excited to get to hold her.

While in Torrey, we visited Capitol Reef National Park and did some hiking there. The weather was unusually cool which is why we are all bundled up here despite it being mid-June. While Drew went to Goblin Valley with the cousins, Kevin and I dragged Ethan on the Chimney Rock hike. The hike was marked "strenuous" in the guide and I would have to agree. Ethan was a trooper and afterwards we hit the local burger joint for some replenishing burgers and shakes.

All in all, it was a fun weekend away and I was happy with how great the ol' back felt both on the drive there and back and with all the hiking. Definitely an improvement over last summer's gimpiness.