Riding Horses... the BEST

The previous post was about climbing the mountain and that is all good and well, but NOT as good as riding to the top of the mountain while your mount does all the huffing and puffing.  We road up American Fork Canyon and ascended several miles in gorgeous country.  When the trail leveled off in the middle of the ride we galloped over terrain, splashing through streams, and having the time of our carefree Friday.  I could almost hear the music from "Man from Snowy River" playing in the background.  Thanks to our friend, Melody Anderson, who owns, feeds, and transports the horses... we are just recipients or her goodwill.

Climbing Mt. Timpanagos

Connor, David, and I took off from the Timpanooge Trail at 7am one Saturday a few weeks ago.  We expected some brown vegetation since we had missed the peak summer months, but to our delight the water was running, the flowers were blooming, the air was crisp, and the sun was shinning.  Of course one must factor in that the the entire fist half of the journey is UP and more UP and then some more UP.  Connor kept reminding me that he had a date that evening (climbing the Y, no less) and had hoped to do the whole hike in 4 hours.  I, on the other hand, had no such timeline or intention and demanded a full 5 minute rest stop every mile, making each of them consent to my meltdown.  When we reached the saddle at 10,500 feet and could see the full panorama, I was content to wait for them to tackle the last 500 feet of accent by themselves, but David would have nothing of it.  "You will be so happy you made it all the way," he coaxed.  He was right.  It was amazing, lacking in air up there, and definitely a feather in the cap of one old lady! 

Mt. Timpanogos from Traci Barnes on Vimeo.