The Second Star to the Right

Lately we have spent a lot of time up in Salt Lake with Dale at LDS Hospital. We go up at least once a week.
Visiting Dale has lately been a hoot with his new medication Marinol he is simply enjoyable company!  Although our main focus on our excursions is spending time with Dale, we have also been able to squeeze in some adventures around the city! We have gone to coffee shops, thrift stores, Book stores and even managed a few antique jewelry shops:) We have also taken some time to explore the Mill Creek Canyon. It must have been the day but Sunday around 1PM is not the time to be up Mill Creek it was crazy. We love dogs we have one and a 1/2 don't get me wrong but everyone and there 6 dogs were up there. Our snowshoeing adventure turned into a marathon chasing after our dogs who insisted on sniffing every pup! To say the least not our favorite destination at least not on Sunday at 1PM.

Over Thanksgiving weekend we went snowshoeing with friends to Stewart Falls! We had so much fun playing in the powder. It was funny to see the dog's running through the snow which surpassed there heads by about 6 inches. We are so excited this winter to really take advantage of winter sports instead of being hibernating bears like usual... Although I am sure we will spend a fair amount of time cuddling up by the fire place and reading books!

This Fall has really be a mean one :( it seems like we are running into one thing after another as James put's it, "Put it on my tab"  our tab is getting to be HUGE... We are just happy that Dale is doing better and his chemo is working it will be nice to spend thanksgiving as a family and get Dale out of the hospital if only for the day!  Kita is doing better also after being hospitalized is home we are so glad Duke didn't get parvo too. It is times like this that you are happy to have people who love you around!

     Sunday night at about 12am we meet friends Danna, Justin, Brook, and Jamie for an epic adventure one we have been long waiting.... Hiking Timp! The hike up took us 7hrs up and 3hrs down with regular stops for me of course... Duke, Jamie and Danna headed the trail with James, Kita(Danny's husky)and myself at the caboose. We went up the AF side which was for sure the right choice in the past I have never made it to the top because all the switch backs on the Sundance side are horrible. I really have no idea what kept us going I really think had we hiked during the day we would have never made it to the top. In the dark you just focus on one foot in front of the other you get into a sort of meditation mantra. In the light you realize how far and long you have hiked. We got to the summit just as the sun was rising. I really have never seen such a beautiful sun rise you could see clear over to Summit County and on the other side all of Utah Valley even until past the point of the mountain. To be honest I got a little scared at the top you are basically on the top of a rocky sheer cliff. I guess what did I expect... It was so cold on top that Jamie in shorts took off right away back to the car of course my protective pup Duke accompanied her.  The rest of us watched the sun rise and huddled to drink tea novel idea James!  The hike down was even more amazing you get to see all of the beautiful back country it is really amazing there is so much to explore. We even got to see a few mountain goats grazing basically on the trail! Man did we feel good and delirious after finally doing this. The tue after getting home we got really concerned because Duke was not getting up off his bed even to greet us unusual for him so we called the vet. Turns out Dukeland tore a ligament on his hind left leg on the way down all that running did him in but he is healing... we all are! Hopefully next year we will do it again!