Birthday/Father's Day Backpacking Trip

Tyler and I were able to buy the backpacking gear we were missing this year (thanks tax return). We have slept in our new tent a few times, but this was the first time we took it backpacking! I asked Tyler a day or two before his birthday, "What would you like to do for your birthday", he said, "Go backpacking", so we did. It was a pretty spur of the moment thing. Tyler had hiked with his work to Red Pine Lake last summer and we had mentioned to some friends of ours that we should backpack up there together. However, Tyler could not remember how hard the hike was and if there were many places to camp, so he wanted to check it out before we brought someone with us. It was a good idea we did. There was still quite a bit of snow, so it was slow going for the last 3/4 of a mile. We were not really expecting that.... It was really pretty warm, but my feet got soooo cold. It was a pretty strenuous hike as well. The trail was not very easy (as in tons of rocks, half the time the trail was a stream, etc.), but it was worth it. The lake was beautiful, gorgeous, perfect, idyllic. We also found the perfect campsite a little up hill of the lake. Elanor was a trooper. She did great in the backpack and hardly complained at all. She also slept pretty well (though she got to bed a little later), and for the first time she stayed in her sleeping bag the whole night! They only problem was that we had just barely enough water. We are going to bring more next time.

View of Little Cottonwood Canyon on our hike up

Red Pine Lake...beautiful.

Trying to get a picture of all three of us. This really is the best picture we got. I am just a little embarrassed to show the others. Don't judge, but I admit to being secretly concerned with how I look in pictures. I was not wearing makeup on this trip and I don't have the best skin. Why would I wear make-up on a backpacking trip anyways? How does everyone else in the world have perfect skin? Just wondering. I am really not shallow, really. Everybody cares just like I do right? Otherwise, there would not be a million blogs out there with perfect looking families all dressed so hip and of course the mom is gorgeous. And she always wears cute belts. I do like looking nice, I'm not going to lie, but I don't always look nice. And sometimes I go backpacking. End random rant.

 More of the lake...

For dinner, we just bought one of those freeze-dried dinner pouches. It was only $5 at Recreation Outlet, which is an awesome store by the way. Tyler and I love to spend time there just looking and wanting and hoping. Anyways, we got an Indian dish and it was pretty good, but way spicy. Maybe that was why it was only $5....

We loved our granite counter tops.

 Elanor surprisingly liked the food quite a bit.

Our tent.

The view of the lake from our campsite.

Just hanging out.

All of us in our sleeping bags.

She is a cutie.

All rested and ready for breakfast!

aOur fire and stove. We had oatmeal for breakfast.  All we had to do is boil water and pour it in our individual oatmeal cups. I found these oatmeal cup things (where you only needed water and it had the flavoring and everything all ready in it) at Whole Foods. They were easy and very tasty.

On the way back down.

Tyler thinks he looks pretty dorky here. It is mostly because I was uphill of him when I took this so he looks tiny.

We had a great little backpacking trip. The trail was pretty arduous, but very worth it. On a side note, since it was Father's Day, I want to mention just how wonderful Tyler is. He is such a great dad. Elanor loves him and looks forward to him coming home from work everyday. I could not do this whole parenting thing without him. I love him. My own dad is also one amazing guy. I loved going on hikes with him, especial when they were just the two of us. I love my dad. I am so thankful for having two such wonderful men in my life!