The Great Outdoors

After playing in the waterfall.

The morning after we nearly froze to death.

Richard made these pancakes on the camping
stove. He was hungry. I was proud.

Here we are in the meadow w/ the Pursers
on our first hike. See the cowboy hat?

I had to add this picture just
because of Richard's hat!

That's us under the waterfall.

Last weekend we went camping for the very first time since we got married. It was very exciting! We went to Payson Lakes with our friends the Pursers, Hardcastles, and Hoellins. We left on Thursday evening after I got home from work ( and after we donated plasma to pay for gas, of course! ). It is just south of Provo and a little ways up the canyon in Payson, so it only took a couple of hours to get there. It was still light out when we arrived, so we hurried to pitch our tent while we could still see everything. It was then that we realized just how small our tent was...our air mattress touched every side. It's just a small backpacking tent, but we made it work. Let's just say it was really cozy! The first night we were freezing cold! We did not prepare for the elements very well at all. We snuggled all night...I'm pretty sure we've never slept that close in the two years we've been married! The next two nights were much better, but that first one was a doozy!
Our first full day there we went on a hike. There wasn't anything real exciting at the end of it, but we did see two elk, which was very exciting! Later that day Richard and I went into town to get some ice for the coolers, and while we were there we decided to invest in some float tubes to keep us cool on the lake...it was a very wise investment! As soon as we got back we floated it up on the lake in the nice brisk water, and it was fabulous! That night we also cooked a dutch oven dinner for everyone. It was our first time doing it on our own, and I have to admit that it was a success. Thanks mom and dad for the recipes, and for letting us borrow your dutch ovens.
We went on another hike that led up to a waterfall that emptied into a pool, and it was by far our favorite part of the trip! We all wore our swimsuits "just in case," but no one was planning to get in the water. Then before we knew it Marc was taking off his clothes and running into the waterfall. Richard followed him, and the rest of us just couldn't resist. The water was icy cold, but it was a blast!
Oh...I can't leave out the fact that Richard wore a cowboy hat the entire time! Sounds like something he wouldn't be caught dead doing, right? Well, right before we left our house he grabbed it and said, "I'm gonna take this." I just laughed, of course, because he didn't even want to buy that hat in the first place when I made him dress up like a cowboy for Halloween, so I was sure he had to be joking. I was wrong. It was like a dang security blanket! His reasoning behind it is that he sunburns really easy, and the cowboy hat shades his head, neck and ears better than a ball cap. He was right. He didn't burn at all. I still think its funny, though.
We left Sunday morning and made it home in time for church, which surprised both of us! It was an awesome weekend, and we had so much fun! We got to make some new friends, and we had another summer adventure.