0 for 2

So, our internet is the slowest thing on the face of the planet. We could print out some newsletters and strap them to some turtles and you would probably get them before we were able to post anything on our blog. Add to that the fact that our internet just randomly disconnects while we're trying to do something, and you might understand why it's been so long since we've posted. We're currently considering what options we have to improve our virtual connection to all of you. I'm using my lunch break at work to throw in this update so we can stop feeling so bad about ourselves and our lack of communication with you over the last month.

Our preparations for hiking timp are going pretty well. We went on a second hike a couple of weeks ago. We were supposed to find a lake up Little Cottonwood Canyon, but again, we were unsuccessful. That makes two times that we've started a hike in search of a lake and found nothing. We started out with a goal destination of Red Pine Lake. When we got to the spot where the trail splits to the right for Red Pine Lake and to the left for White Pine Lake, we tried to go right. The only problem was that a raging river of death was careening over the trail. Our only option was to go the other way and try to make it to White Pine Lake.

As we got going, we ran into a couple of areas with fairly large snow drifts. Now these drifts were not anything like wind driven drifts in the middle of the winter. These were dense piles of heavy snow that were at least six feet tall in some cases. We thought it was cool to be walking in the snow and still feel so warm...at first. We soon found that the trail became completely snow covered. We had no idea if we were even on the right trail, but there were a lot of footprints, so we followed them. Everything was going well until our footprint trail started getting harder and harder to see. Pretty soon we had no idea where any kind of a trail was. We were at least several feet above any real tree that there might have been. We finally came to a point where any misstep could send us sliding quickly down the mountain, so we stopped to re-evaluate. One of our friends that was with us hurried ahead around the next bend to see if he could see anything, and I hiked up to the top of the mountain we were on to see what I could see. And what do you think I saw? That's right: I saw another mountain, but no trail. When I turned to head back and report my findings, I realized that it was going to be quite difficult hiking down the steep, slick snow. I decided to try something different, so I crouched down in a skiing position and started sliding down the mountain. It was actually quite fun, and I was a little sad that it was such a short distance. So, disappointed, we turned and started back down the way we had come and returned home.

We're failures at finding lakes. Who knows, maybe we were walking right over the top of the lake at some point, but we couldn't see anything. We're actually a little concerned about making it to the top of timp, because there is supposed to be a lake that you pass when you're getting close to the top. Maybe since the lake isn't our goal, we'll be able to make it.

Anyway, sorry about the lack of posts. I'll try to remember to bring some pictures to work so you can see how cool our hike really was, and we'll let you know if our internet situation is corrected.