Yes. Another Hike.

so...I'm outrageously busy this week and the coming week (thank you, finals...and all the teachers who believe that I only take one class a semester: theirs). I love writing to y'all (okay, so here's the thing-I always want to say y'all, cause it's so much quicker, but I feel like you have to be either a)Whitney or b)obviously southern to say y'all effectively...but I really just don't care so I'm gonna go ahead and say it) and I have a BUNCH to write about...but I'm thinking you're gonna have to be patient, seeing as how I have TONS the next two weeks and absolutely NOTHING the following four weeks. Check back in december and you'll be getting all sorts of posts about thanksgiving and family and random thoughts and ramblings of boredom. But until then, enjoy this post :)

If you didn't catch the drift, my family (myself included) LOVES to hike. We love it. I used to hate it. But thankfully I was converted to an all consuming passion of hiking.

And it has treated me well.

We go on some pretty awesome adventures. And this last trip to Robber's Roost was no different.

Robber's Roost is this awesome slot canyon that got its name from the fact that Butch Cassidy and his gang hid there. Cool, huh? Anyway. Unfortunately for you (but quite fortunate for me) there is no hilarity in the way of bee stings on this post. So I will just give you the pics and a short explanation. A'ight?

This is Mike. When I invited all the neighbor boys to come on the hike(there are 10 of them), plus my roomies (3), Mike was the only one to agree.
What wimps.
So it was just Mike and I in the car for a total of 10 hours.
I think it is fairly safe to say that he now knows most of my significant life details
(like the story of the a certain guitar ballad
and the fact that I basically always have to go to the bathroom).

This is my sister Heather. She is basically a model.
I mean, she is a model.
In this picture.

Some crazy awesome spidering that had to go down.
Otherwise, we would have died.
And people: There was some insane mud on this hike.
Spidering + mud= H-E-double hockey sticks!!!!
Also Known As: Hell
Trust me.

Cute! More spidering.
Oh, this is such a great shot of everyone's rear.
And see what I'm saying about the mud? On my camera. Curse.

Mason. So hot right now.
But really. He's like a monkey. Pretty much.

This is my family.
Our mom says we're special.
Ha ha. Okay...she didn't really say that. But I'm sure she thinks it.
Except Heather. She looks pretty normal.

Sister picture!
For cute!

Cousin picture!
Haven't you met cousin Matt Park and cousin Tanner?
.......
Really? Tsk tsk. That's a shame.

More mud.
On me.

This was our lunch break.
Bring on the beef log
(just FYI: that's the Nott's term. I think it sounds gross.
REAL hikers say summer sausage).

We are so good at teamwork!

Okay, sorry this was kind of all over. But really, I ought to be studying right now. Good thing I love y'all so much that I was willing to throw this up here so you could start the conversion process right away.

Remember, folks: hiking=good.

Like true love good.

P.S. update from last post: I am still thoroughly digging my boots. Thanks for asking.

Tsk. Tsk.

I have officially become a terrible person.

Actually, I am kind of in the middle. Half of me thinks that I am truly awful.

The other half could care less.

And so, here I am in this torn state, unsure of what I am and what is to become of me. Let me explain.

Ever since I was 14 my parents forced encouraged me to buy my own stuff.

Clothes
Shoes
Accessories
etc.
(pretty much everything I wanted
minus food and toothpaste,
you know, the basics).

Which I think is actually a pretty good idea. I appreciated my stuff a lot more than if my parents were forking out everything to me. I'm really grateful they did this.

And for the past 6 years (since this work-and-pay-for-it-yourself dealio started) I have been doing a freaking good job. If I do say so myself. I mean,

• I've kept a steady job since I turned 16.
• I studied my face off to get a good scholarship for school.
• I've shopped all the sales and bargains and thrift shops (although, this is more about me loving the outrageously awesome deal I'm getting...)
• I mooched lots of food and toilet paper off my parents whenever I returned from school for a weekend.
• I lovingly take and use hand-me-downs.

Really. I do a good job. And, currently, I'm doing pretty okay in the financial department (let's just not consider how much grad school will cost...).

My frugality is working out for me so far.

Except that a month or two ago I saw these boots.

And I really wanted them.

I tried to stifle my desire to have them. Really. I tried hard (you know, minus searching the internet for them more than a handful of times to gaze at their beauty).

One side of me was saying:
"You don't really need those."
"What if you want to spend that money elsewhere."
"HA. forty bucks? I'm waaay too cheap for that."
"Material wants. Material wants."
"This will make you happy for a day...but will it make you joyous for a lifetime?" (okay, I didn't really think that one...my thoughts aren't that righteous)

But the other side was thinking:
"Oooooh...so cute."

And, somehow, the other side won. So. I bought the boots. Technically, they were only $39.95. I didn't even have to pay for shipping and handling.

And while a fraction of me is still thinking the money could have/ should have gone somewhere a lot more useful, the other part has already fallen madly in love.

Just don't tell my dad. He'd be terribly disappointed.

Hiking Adventures in Cedar

I'm pretty sure I am such a slacker. This post should have been up here a month ago. But, alas, I am a college student...taking 18 credits, working 12-15 hours a week, volunteering some, and maintaining a healthy social life...thus, I hardly have time to blog. But this adventure really was pretty epic and I figure it's better late than never, yes?

Here's the story:

SUU used to have this lovely thing called a Fall Break. We would get a weekend off-usually Thursday and Friday-during October (yes, this break is specifically for all the hicks here in Southern Utah who count down the days before the deer hunt begins). That Fall Break is a much needed hiatus in the mass of drudgingly long and painful school days between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. However, SUU decided to hate us this year and take away our Fall Break.

Lame. Lame. Lame.

However (and this is a big however), my family is pure awesomeness. They figured that since I couldn't come to them, they would come to me. I know! They really do love me! They came on a Thursday and picked me right up from class to go eat at this Thai restaurant in town (yeah...I got a spiciness level of 4 out of 10 and I thought I was going to die-snot and tears were flowing, I tell you). I had to go to work after that, but I joined them that night for delish dutch oven. The next day, after I got out of my classes, we hiked Cascade Falls. It was super beautiful and fun (forgot the camera...sorry). More incredible dutch oven for dinner. Plus friends and family. It was so good.

Our Saturday hike was the truly epic part, so that's where I'll spend most of my time. We hiked Rattlesnake Creek/Ashdown Gorge, totaling around 11 miles. The hike was so pretty. I loved it.

Before I present the pictures I'll tell you the story of the hike. Trust me, you'll want to read this one:

I can't say it enough, the hike was really just breathtakingly gorgeous. My family usually hikes in the red rock area. And this one had red rock but it was mostly mountainous terrain (oh man, I sound so earth-y right now!). So we were about three miles into the hike when we crossed through a field and started descending the mountain through this woodsy-ish area. The trail was fairly narrow so we were going single file. I was second in line, with about7 or 8 people directly behind me.

Right before the trail made a sharp turn to the right, I glanced down at my feet and noticed a few bees swarming around a quarter sized hole opening in the dirt. Honestly, I should have said something. But, seriously, doesn't everybody hone in on potentially dangerous things no matter how obscure they might be??

Apparently not because a few steps down the trail my friend Mike started stringing together some Mormon swears.

"Dang it! Fetch! I just got freaking stung by a bee! Crap!" (yeah, I haven't heard "fetch" since 2002 either...but he said it).

Heather immediately assumed that Mike was lying. "Whatever," she insisted. I couldn't tell either way so I just kept on hiking. That is, until Heather started with the screaming. She ripped off her backpack and threw it at Mike. Then she started tearing at her clothes.

It was then that we all realized we had a swarm of bees after us. So we started sprinting down the trail, praying that we were somehow faster than our attackers. After running for a little bit, I stopped to make sure Heather was okay. Cause that's the kind of awesome sister that I am. But as we were looking at her back and Mike's knee (where they had been stung), I felt this forceful, stinging prick.

Right. On. My. Butt.

I don't think I've screamed as loud or danced as vigorously as I did then. My arms were flailing everywhere while I screamed and shouted at the top of my lungs. After calming down, I got the intruder out of the lining of my shorts. My lovely mother checked my behind for the stinger, but found nothing. It just hurt. A lot.

Luckily, Mike, Heather and I were the only ones to get stung. But we had to hike the remaining 8 miles of the hike with our stings pulsating with pain. And, because of the location of my sting, I was able to endure plenty of teasing about my rear end. Here's one of my favorites:

Pa: This trail is getting pretty narrow.
Me: Yeah. Good thing none of us are really fat.
Mike: Well, except for your left cheek.
Me: Oh my gosh. I hate you, Mike.
Pa: Kim, just turn the other cheek.

Despite the fact that they were referring to my butt, it was pretty funny. Anyway. On to the pictures!

This was at the first of the hike. The view was spectacular.

This is my roommate Amanda. I love her.
And also, this is my brother Eric. I love him too.
Eric, in true Eric-fashion, called Amanda "Amber"
or "Amy"
or "Ashley"
the entire hike.
I'm pretty sure he just wanted to get some.
He's pretty skillful at that.
Obviously.
I think it's true love.

See the old man in the rock?
I am totally kissing him...well, his chin.
You get the point.
Clearly, I'm very skilled at getting some as well.

This is my Cedar City family. Well, like a quarter of them
(the other ones are wimpy and wouldn't have made it on the hike).
But these ones are pretty rockin'. I love them.

These are members of my real family. I love them even more.
They are so incredibly awesome.

Sigh.

Family is the best.

And I get to see them this weekend too.
And it will probably take me a month to write about that trip as well.
Oh well.
Good story, right?