Family Reunion

We've been very delinquent in blogging this past month. I think we've spent more time on vacation then off. Doesn't leave much time to write about it. I'll try to get you all (or y'all for our readers in the south) caught up.

July 2-12 we drove to Utah for a Barnhart (Woolley maternal side) family reunion and Granddaddy Gene's 80th birthday. 29 of us stayed in a large cabin we rented in Midway nestled in the hills. It was hard to get Jeremy to sleep in a house full of cousins but it was a lot of fun.

While we were there we went to the Oquirrh Mountain temple open house



took family photos



did some family kickboxing



fished with Jean's kids at a nearby pond



took a family hike to some mountain lakes



and Jeremy went boating



while Venessa and I got away for a backpacking trip in Granddaddy Basin (nice name, eh?) in the High Uintas

From 7-9 Granddaddy Basin Backpack

At the end of the week the boys drove up to Idaho to camp and climb the highest peak in the state, Mt. Borah. (Bro-in-law Bob is on a mission to climb all 50 high points). The hike was supposedly "only" 3.5 miles each way, but there was 5300' elevation gain, that's over a mile up! For those of you unaccustomed to vertical gain, that's freakishly steep.

The start:

From 7-11 Mt. Borah Hike

up, up, up...



more up...



up the razor-like ridge...



climbing on "chicken-out ridge"...



across the snow bridge with 2000' drops on either side...



on top of the world (of Idaho)



To see pictures of the harrowing descent check out the album here.