High Uintas

This past week, I had the opportunity to go backpacking/hiking in the Uintas with my dad, my uncle Ken, my uncle Mike, and my cousin Robbie. The original plan was to leave Wednesday, but Ken and Mike thought we were going to leave Thursday. Dad and I decided we wanted to leave Wednesday, even without the rest of the crew. Unfortunately, we left a lot later than we had hoped, and even with my speedy driving skills, it was about 7:00 before we hit the trail. We hoped to get to Everman Lake before setting up camp (about 6 miles in), but after the sun went down, it became very difficult to make good time. My flashlight didn't really work, and I couldn't find the extra batteries in my pack. We decided to stop and make camp for the night. Dad found a place about 10 feet from the trail, and we set up there, even though we were supposed to camp at least 200 feet from the trail. We had our dinner (which was actually quite tasty), set up the tent, hung our food in a tree, and went to sleep. The plan was to wake up early and do some fishing before meeting Ken and the rest of the gang at "The Junction"--the place where the trail split and you decide whether you want to go to Everman Lake or Pigeon Milk Spring.

As it turns out, we slept instead of fishing, and got a late start going back to meet Ken, but we contacted him on the short-range radio and we decided to camp at Everman instead of Pigeon Milk. So, instead of hiking all the way down, Dad and I just waited for everyone else to catch up to us. We hiked the rest of the way to Everman (Dad and I hadn't quite made it the night before), set up camp, and slept. Who knew carrying a 45-pound pack up and down rugged terrain could be so tiring?

Anyway, we woke up and went fishing at some lake nearby. Apparently Everman lake has no good fishing. Friday was the fun day. We saw a freshwater spring on the map, and it appeared to be near to where we were camped, so we went searching for it. After a bit of hiking and scaling a couple of rock cliffs, we finally found it. It was so good. Those of you who have never been backpacking probably don't understand how much of a pain it is to filter water, and how great it is to just dip your bottle into the flowing water and fill it within seconds. After sitting there for a while, we went on our way to Pigeon Milk Spring. Friday was full of "bushwhacking": going places without taking a trail--a shortcut of sorts. We probably hiked about 8 miles total on Friday, and only about one of those miles was on an official trail. Anyway, after bushwhacking over to Pigeon Milk and eating lunch, we went on our way to Four Lakes Basin. We fished at one of the lakes, and left when it started pouring rain.

The rest of the trip was very wet. It rained for probably 4-5 hours that night, and got our shoes and socks all wet. Hiking out the next day was a joy...

Overall, it was a very great and fun trip, although the "Giles Curse" continues... neither my dad nor I caught a single fish during the whole week. We returned home, tired, blistered, dirty, and very sore. Thank goodness for Monica, who is willing to rub some of the soreness out of my shoulders.

It's good to be home.

Good lyrics

Here are some lyrics I've been compiling as I listen to music. These are lyrics that have struck me in one way or another. Love the song or hate it, you have to admit the lyrics are good.
I've left the artist and song name too, in case you want to listen to it in context.

It’s hard to see the future if the past is in the way.
    -Pillar (Will You Be There)

Note the past, spare the pain.
    -All That Remains (This Calling)

And now I wanna do Everything for you that I can Even though it won't erase
The foolish things that I've done.
    -12 Stones (It Was You)

Live life with no restrictions. No one can hold you down.
    -Pillar (Dangerous)

Oh, how I adore you. Oh, how I thirst for you. Oh, how I need you.
    -Skillet (Comatose)

Sittin’ in the stands ain't the same as playin’ the game.
    -Pillar (Bring Me Down)

No one really seems to care. Maybe I should care less, 'Cause I will
die too.
    -In Flames (Dead End)

Prepare for the struggle. Prepare to engage.
    -August Burns Red (Marianas Trench)

How does it feel to be alive?
    -In Flames (Leeches)

I want to fight. I want to prove I’m right.
    -Chevelle (Forfeit)

First impressions are over in an instant.
    -Trapt (Skin Deep)

Rise against the oppression. Resist and question.
    -Killswitch Engage (Bonus Track)

Oh they say the sky the limit, but I say there is so much more, Because
your love takes me higher than I’ve ever been before.
    -Rascall Flatts (The Way)

This day is mine.
    -Killswitch Engage (This Fire)

So don't forget before you start bringing me down: What goes around
always comes back around.
    -Pillar (Bring Me Down)

You can't bring me down! Do you hear what I'm trying to say?! You can't
bring me down!
    -Pillar (Bring Me Down)

Panic setting in, I can no longer fight. When will this end?
    -Dream Theater (Constant Motion)

We have all heard what we wanted to hear: “Truth” that sounds right
to our ears.
    -As I Lay Dying (The Sound of Truth)

We all choke ourselves with our own ignorance.
    -August Burns Red (Barbarian)

Nothing is everything, and everything is something.
    -August Burns Red (Barbarian)

Faith or Stupidity?

I've found something out about myself, and I'm not sure what to think about it. Here's what I've found: I've found that I have a habit of not exactly planning everything out, but instead just trusting that everything will work itself out in the end. Now, these "things" I mentioned are not just everyday things like what I'm going to eat for breakfast or what I'm going to do with my spare time; they are big decisions that are a little way down the road of life: things such as "what am I going to do with my degree after I graduate?" and other such decisions.
I think maybe it's because of my desire not to overreact to things that are beyond my control, because many things in life are beyond my control. I like to think that not worrying about these things reduces my stress level and (hopefully) makes me a better person to be around. But my question is, am I acting on faith by trusting everything will be okay, or am I just an idiot for not planning a specific course of action?

Sibling-ly love

Hello! This is my blog! I won't waste time introducing myself, because I assume that most, if not all of you who care to read my blog are people who already know me and are just interested to know more about my thoughts. Also, keep in mind that I've never done this blogging thing before, and don't judge me too harshly.
This, my first-ever blog post, is dedicated to my wonderful older sister, Kristen. A few weeks ago, Kristen moved out of the house to be "on her own" in an apartment she is sharing with her friend Laura. I have not been able to spend very much time with her at all, because we both work, and we don't live together anymore. In fact, besides one phone call, two games of StarCraft, and a couple of text messages, we've really lost touch with each other. This saddens me, because Kristen has always been that one person I can turn to for anything. She has always been the person who can offer advice on any situation, and who doesn't laugh at my stupid questions.
I guess for the past couple of weeks I've been able to get by without her, mostly by dumping my random rants on Monica; but tonight, Kristen came over for dinner, and we had the opportunity to take a brief ride in the car and 'catch up'. I guess I hadn't realized how much I missed her until this moment. It's nice to have someone you can turn to at the drop of a hat, who you know won't judge you no matter what. It's what keeps me (somewhat) sane.
So here's to you, my beautiful, brilliant sister, Kristen. I love you, and I hope we keep in touch.