grey's river 2013

another annual trip to grey's has come and gone! we had such a good week in wyoming with our families, and can't believe how fast it went by. we spent our first two days with devin's family, and the last two days with mine.

we took cooper to murphy lake and let him swim | we played nerts with devin's parents | we ate delicious food | we slept like babies in our tent, and watched movies every night on the laptop | we sat around the campfire for hours | we rode 4-wheelers | we drank water from a natural spring | devin got to run the river in a raft with zac and kyle | we went on a hike with my dad | we drove home with 4 people 

and a dog in one car (squishy)

   

< this was a few nights before we left for wyoming. my dad had all these photo albums from past trips and a map of the area out. he spends months planning for this trip ever year!

> instead of driving up the way we usually go, through wyoming, devin and i decided to try going through idaho instead - the drive wasn't as pretty, and it didn't save us any time, so i doubt we'll do that again!

 

< 6 hour car rides... yay...

> coop was so comfy in the back seat with all the pillows and blankets. he didn't mind the ride up one bit!

 

the altima pretty much changed colors by the end of the trip, it was so dirty!

cows. everywhere. always.


murphy lake - devin and i both have a lot of childhood memories here!


our kelty tent is such a champ!


took a 4-wheeler ride up to ray's spring to fill up our water bottles


the 4-wheeler devin and i were riding may or may not have broken down on the way back to camp...


devin, my little brother, and my almost brother-in-law rafted down the river!


there she is! grey's river herself.


a hike with my dad to the warming hut


  
devin caught me a little frog!


the most beautiful place! i love grey's.

Backpacking to Fehr Lake

On Thursday night, Devin told me that he really wanted to go camping over the weekend. I was hesitant to say yes, since it was such short notice, but it didn't take me very long to remember that Devin's spontaneity is one of my favorite things about him, and we began planning right away.

  

i can't get over how cute he is in his pack and how happy he looked the entire trip!

 

nobody i'd rather explore with than these two boys

 

so many wildflowers

 

i love the boardwalks in the uintas

  

smooth as glass. so perfect. we were the only ones that camped at this lake!

  

 

if you ever get a backpacking tent, get the marmot earlylight - tons of space, super lightweight and so easy to set up.

 

hunkered down for the thunderstorm. cooper was not a fan

  

the most amazing sunset i ever witnessed that of course the pictures don't do justice

     

we love our MSR stove. it was perfect!

   

sorry for the cooper overload. i just can't get enough of this dog. he's the greatest

     

can't go the fehr without scouting out the walls for some climbing! only trad lines... boo!

  

fields and fields of wildflowers everywhere. the pictures don't show how dense they were!

 

swimming heaven for this little fish of ours.

              

we tried to get cooper to chase the deer but he didn't even notice it!

 

gorgeous waterfall we hiked to that was surrounded by stinging nettle! devin and i avoided it well but cooper got a rash on his belly for a few days that cleared up fine without bothering him. fwew!

 

this is the quality of a picture on our sony point and shoot zoomed all the way in - amazing!

          

we wasted so much time purifying water - we are definitely getting a new filter after this!

We left early Friday evening and headed straight for Mirror Lake Highway, weaving our way up into the Uinta's while Cooper slept in the back seat, unknowingly about to begin his very first camping trip. We got to the trail head for Fehr, Shepherd and Hoover lakes and were anxious to get hiking. We strapped Cooper into his new pack and gave him a few minutes to get used to it walking around in the parking lot.

After about 20 minutes of hiking, we happened upon a lake. We thought there was no way we were already at our destination, but there we were! Fehr Lake was quiet and still, and the surface of the water was glassy and smooth. The weather was warm, the bugs were out, and we still had plenty of daylight left to find a clearing to set up our tent. 

We hiked around to the other side of the lake and found a small clearing in a patch of trees on the edge of a large meadow and decided to call it home for the weekend. We set up our tent, unpacked our gear and got a little more organized while Cooper explored and ran and chewed on every stick and pine cone. 

As the sun began to set, we walked back down near the lake and witnessed the most breathtaking view as the sun dipped behind the trees, leaving the sky pink, orange and purple. As the air got colder, steam rose from the water and the birds chirped quietly.

That night, as we laid in our tent, it rained. 

We spent Saturday morning hiking from lake to lake, exploring waterfalls and stopping for snacks. Cooper got muddy and made friends with every hiker we passed. He swam to his little heart's content! We purified a lot of water. We cooked some dinner and hiked around to the top of a cliff for a better view of the lake. We took turns reading a book out loud to each other. We napped. 

And that night, as we laid in our tent, it rained harder. 

We were up all night as Cooper cowered between us, afraid of the thunder and lightning and we tried to talk over the sound of the rain beating down on our tent. We listened to the storm move over us and waited for the rain to slow, and once it did, we were able to sleep. When we woke up, it was wet and the birds were loud and Cooper was ready to play. We woke up slowly and took our time making breakfast and packing our gear, and were back at the car earlier then planned, taking inventory of our bug bites (I have 26). 

As we dove back into the valley and the mountains disappeared behind us, we ate a second breakfast at Mirror Lake Diner, where Brandon is a chef. The food was delicious and we had just enough energy to make it home.

And it wasn't until we walked in that front door that we realized how truly exhausted we were. The tell tale sign of a successful weekend in the mountains.