There is so much to do in Utah Valley in the fall! Unfortunately, Dustan is also in full swing with his mechanical engineering master's program and keeps busy. We always find the time to get out and have some fun :)
One of the first things we did when we reached Utah was go camping at our favorite spot in the Nebo Loop up Pole Canyon. (We have gone camping here every fall since we have been married, we wrote about it a little more here.) Our absolute favorite spot was actually taken, but after driving up the road just a few more minutes we found a spot almost just as good and way easier to drive to--just slightly less beautiful. We went with our good friends Ashlee and Adam, once again. Highlights of the camping trip: it only rained for about 30 minutes, roasted brats and starburst, seeing mama deer and her babies, playing lots of games of horseshoe, and shooting clay pigeons with our shotgun.
We hiked Mount Timp a few weeks after school started, but that feat deserved it's own blog post! I preferred the camping, personally ;)
I had a couple days off in October while all the Utah schools went on Fall Break. So I hung out with Dustan! On Thursday I accompanied him to his lab and tried out their sweet virtual reality system (an HTC Vive)--it totally blew my mind. On Friday, we drove up near Brighton Ski Resort and did a couple short hikes/walks. We were hoping the hikes would still have a few fall colors on the trees, but alas, it was mostly dead up there, haha. Willow Lake would be absolutely gorgeous with the fall colors, so we hope to go up again next year before it's this late.
Willow Lake
Silver Lake
One of the main staples of fun during the fall semester in Provo is the sporting events. As usual, we purchased BYU All Sports Passes (I almost cried because I couldn't get a student priced pass anymore). We made it to most of the football and basketball games this semester, and a couple women's soccer games. We loved being able to go to the games, cheer on our school, and hang out with friends that we otherwise don't get to spend too much time with.
BYU Football vs. Southern Utah
BYU Football vs. Southern Utah
For Thanksgiving, Dustan and I were blessed to be able to take off an entire week to go hang out with our Kraus family! We really packed in the fun that week--enough to make up for our boringness the rest of the semester ;) That trip was blogged about here, though.
Recently, Costco held a BYU alumni event. The first ten people at the alumni event would receive a free one year Costco membership. So naturally, we sat in 20 degree weather for two hours before Costco opened and we won a free membership!
And that was about our last exciting thing before we head off to Christmas break in Washington!!
Our first Thanksgiving together was just a few months after we were married. We went to Colorado to spend just a few short days with the Kraus family. After two years (switching off with my Nielson family), we went back! That first Thanksgiving together back in 2014 was before we started a blog, so I'll post just a few picture highlights from back then :)
Hiked to the top of Castle Rock in Castle Rock, CO
The farthest our Honda Civic has ever gone on one tank of gas...
16 mile bike ride as soon as we arrived, typical Kraus fam ;)
Took some early Christmas photos in downtown Castle Rock :)
And fast forward to now, we went back to Denver for Thanksgiving with the Krauses again in 2016! This time, I convinced Dustan to skip a couple days of school, so we left the Friday before Thanksgiving and were there for over a week until the following Sunday! It was wonderful.
We arrived just barely 15 minutes after Bryson and Taylor, who are now living in El Paso, Texas while Bryson is in medical school. Sadly, this means we got the small guest bedroom. Only half the family was there the first couple days while Jen, Bryan, and Erin were in Arizona for a cross country race.
Our first day there on Saturday, we did the typical Kraus activities. We went mountain biking, went to Levi's piano recital, played games, and watched a movie. The mountain biking trails still had some snow on them, so it was a very muddy ride--only minimal injuries though!
Awful picture for everyone, haha
Sunday was spent going to 1:00 pm church (the worst), eating, playing games, and watching movies. At around midnight, we left to go to the airport to pick up the rest of the family. It was time to party!
Monday was our first day with the whole family--unfortunately, the kids still had school. We pulled out the youngest, Levi, around lunchtime and did some more mountain biking. (It was supposed to snow on Tuesday, so we wanted to go before the trails were ruined wet again.) We did a 5 mile loop from the house, and I was able to make it to the last 10 yards of the trail before crashing! After a short break for lunch, we drove to a nearby bmx style biking course with jumps and banked turns and rode around there until the high school kids got home and joined us for some indian ball.
Tuesday and Wednesday were spent doing some shopping in downtown Castle Rock, and the usual games and movies that the Kraus family loves so much. It had snowed Monday night so the usual mountain biking, outdoor sports, etc. were out for Tuesday. The snow made for perfect hot tubbing on Tuesday night though!
But on Wednesday enough snow had melted, so we again went to a park to play some games, such as football and ultimate frisbee. Afterward, we visited the Red Rocks Amphitheater, which is an outdoor concert area within the Red Rocks Park. It was pretty neat. Bryson and Taylor serenaded us on their guitar and fiddle.
Thanksgiving Day arrived! We spent the morning cooking up all the best dishes: turkey, candied pecan sweet potatoes, raspberry pretzel jello, mashed potatoes, carrot timble, and of course MORE PIE. Everyone in the family weighed themselves before the meal and again afterward to see how much weight they had gained. We sat down for an absolutely delicious meal around 3 pm (the Krauses like to eat early) before weighing ourselves again. Dustan gained 4 pounds and I gained 2.8 pounds, haha. We spent the rest of the day fat and happy, watching movies, playing games, and eating pie.
Most of Friday was spent at the Epic Sky Trek Challenge in Castle Rock. If the workers are to be believed, this is the largest ropes course in the world! It has over 110 different challenges and obstacles. Aside from losing feeling in my hands and scraping off the skin on a few fingers, it was a blast! There were different levels of courses, rated similar to biking or skiing, with green, blue, and black courses. Everyone tried a few each. That evening we played more games and watched the 5k episode of The Office in preparation for Saturday morning.
Saturday was our last full day :( That morning, we participated in the Stake 5k Turkey Trot. Honestly, I don't think anyone in the family was looking forward to it (except maybe Bryant and Erin, since they just finished their cross country season), but we all participated! Dustan and I had been doing no training for this whatsoever, and we definitely aren't runners. A 5k was much farther than anything we had just run in a while (since we've been married). Dustan had the goal to never walk and my goal was to actually finish the race without walking a majority of it, haha. Dustan did great, completing the race in 24:51 minutes, which is an 8 minute mile pace. Thankfully, Jen and Paul ran with me and kept me going, or I don't know if I would have finished! I completed my first 5k in 34:29 minutes, which is about an 11:06 minute mile pace. We both met our goals!
Just before sunset on Saturday, we got all dressed up and took some family pictures. It was absolutely freezing, especially once the sun went down. But they turned out great! Only a few tears were shed, which is apparently a new record for the Krauses during family pictures ;) The rest of the day was spend vegging out, watching movies, and playing games.
On Sunday, we went to church, ate some lunch, packed the car, and we were off! We were really so blessed to have been able to spend a whole week in Denver with family. They were so good to Dustan and I--feeding us, housing us, taking us on adventures, and serving us. We are very thankful for them, and to have them living so close that we can travel there for a short week!
Over the past year or so, I have been feeling really dissatisfied about our health, especially my own. First and foremost, our eating habits were horrendous. We began limiting our eating out budget at the beginning of 2016, which was beneficial. But we were eating large desserts (like ice cream with a side of popcorn and soda) many times a week. We did not have a good balance of fruits and veggies compared to carbs. My portion sizes were much larger than they needed to be. In addition to this, we were not very consistent in exercising--Dustan did more through all the sports teams he participates on and through biking to school and work. Neither of us were at our healthiest, and I had gained more weight than I would like to admit since our wedding.
When I first began realizing that something needed to change, some friends tried out Whole30. After some research and discussions with Dustan, I decided that this was something that I wanted to try--not as a permanent lifestyle change, but just to help jumpstart new, more healthy habits.
For those of you that don't know what Whole30 is, the website can tell you all! But basically, it is a diet that has you abstain from added sugars, grains, alcohol, legumes, and dairy for 30 days. Does that sound crazy? Because yes, it was crazy. And one other caveat--no weighing yourself for the duration!
We started the Whole30 near the end of September and continued through mid-October. And yes, we finished! And yes, it was REALLY HARD. I obsessed with meal planning those 30 days. If I didn't plan, there was nothing really substantial that we could just eat on the fly. Try making a quick and mildly good tasting meal using basically only protein, vegetables, or fruits.
But anyway. Here is just a brief summary on how Dustan and I felt throughout the 30 days. The first week for me was actually easier than the rest of the time, probably just because of the novelty of the program. Our fridge was stocked and I was trying out some new recipes and we were eating good sized portions. The second week was similar to the first, though I had a few more cravings--and not my usual chocolate cravings, but for any regular foods. That second week, I was also shocked at how quickly our groceries ran out. The third week, we really started getting sick of the foods we were eating. There just wasn't a ton of variety. But by then, we were already halfway through, so we were committed! The last week was actually the hardest, I think. On the Whole30 website, they provide and timeline that they think people follow during the diet. That last week they described how people would panic about what they would eat once they finished the diet. We did not have that problem! The cravings were the worst during that last week. I thought about food constantly, and all the things I wanted to eat once we finished.
But even with many negatives that we seemed to feel during the diet, I really do have some positives to list. (I didn't notice many of the positives until once we started eating normally again though, haha.) So, here are some thoughts, realizations, and impacts from each of us!
Ellen:
Fell asleep faster and didn't wake up as much
Lost 11 pounds
Clearer skin
Pants are looser
At first, had a hard time getting satisfied/full
Felt satisfied on less food by the end
Same amount of energy
After finishing the diet, would feel sick after eating others foods
This diet is expensive!
In general, I thought that Whole30 is a great way for people (like me) to realize how unhealthily we are eating and what impact that can have. I don't want to live on protein, vegetables, and fruit. I think there is good in others foods, and that I need to treat myself sometimes. I am hoping to incorporate more Whole30 recipes into our regular meals.
Dustan:
Never felt really satisfied/full after a meal
Lost 11 pounds
Hungry much quicker
Could see his abs better ;)
Same amount of energy
After finishing, Dustan wanted to note that limiting sugars is really important, which is one of the rules of Whole30. But Dustan doesn't agree that grains should be limited (they are the bottom of the food pyramid!), but there are healthier grain choices. He is also willing to try and be more healthy, especially after finishing this experience.
We have set some new goals for ourselves on how often we will be exercising, eating treats, etc. Hopefully, we can get our health back on track with less extreme action!
Dustan and I finally succeeded in hiking Mount Timpanogos! We had planned to hike it a couple times previous for sunrise, but each time we woke up at midnight to go start the hike, we decided it wasn't worth the effort and loss of sleep. But finally, after being married for two years, we made the trek!
Mount Timp is the second highest summit in the Wasatch Mountain Range at 11,749 feet after Mount Nebo (which we hiked last fall, written about here). Starting from the Aspen Grove trailhead, the hike to Mount Timp's peak is 8.3 miles one way.
I first hiked Mount Timp a few weeks into my freshman year at BYU with my awesome roommates and fellow ward members. It was a blast and completely exhausting. Somehow, Dustan never did the hike like so many freshman do.
Picture from my first time hiking Mount Timp
We invited our good married friends Ashlee and Adam. Ashlee had also hiked to the peak of Mount Timp for sunrise. And though her husband Adam had attempted to hike Mount Timp before, he had never made it clear to the peak. So it was time to get those husbands of ours up the mountain!
We started out hike just after 1 am from the Aspen Grove trailhead. Dustan was able to sleep a couple hours, while I had been unable to fall asleep at all. We anticipated that the hike would take about 5 and a half hours, getting us to the peak just in time for sunrise at about 7:15 am.
The first half of the hike was rather uneventful. The full moon was quite bright, but it was still dark enough to prevent us from seeing the stellar views from the trail (I was the only one that wore a headlamp, too afraid I would twist my ankle on a rogue rock). After a few hours of hiking though, the elevation gain began to add to the frigidness of the air. We were surprised and curious when we began to smell fire smoke on the air. Soon enough, we came upon a little shack where a few boy scouts had built a fire. It was great to get inside and warm up for a bit.
Until we had reached that shack, the hike had been rather uneventful. Just long. Then it began to get difficult. The next part of the trail was through a boulder field, filled with rocks of all sorts of shapes and sizes. The darkness from it being around 5 am and a thick layer of frost added with the already ankle turning boulder field quickly became a real pain. After slowly making our way through and losing the trail completely a few times, we hiked up a drastically steep hill that then met up with the other trail that leads up the mountain, the Timpooneke Trail. It was really neat to see the line of headlamps coming up the mountain from the view just above the steep path. Dustan of course stopped to take a picture while we continued on just a few minutes from there to the Timp Saddle.
The first time I hiked Mount Timp, I watched the sunrise from the Saddle before making my way to the peak. As it was last time, this spot was packed with people gazing at the panoramic views of Utah Valley. By the time we made it the Saddle, the sky was significantly lighter. We quickly began the zig zag path up the the summit.
And this is where Ashlee and I began to crash. We still aren't sure if we were experiencing altitude sickness, exhaustion because we had colds, or just awful because we hadn't drank enough water on the hike up. But we felt seriously sick--dizzy, nauseous, no energy, blacking out, the whole deal. We sent the boys up ahead of us so that they could make it up for sunrise for sure, while we began slowly making our way up and taking lots of breaks.
By some miracle we were able to make it up and sit with our husbands just minutes before the sun peaked over the mountains in the distance. It was beautiful :) Annnd absolutely freezing. With such high elevation and exposure to the wind, we think the weather was in the low 20s that morning (according to google).
We took some pictures, signed the book in the shack on the peak, then headed back down to the Saddle to take a small break.
The way back down was slow going. The hike back down those 8.3 miles, now in the light, seemed to last so much longer. At least we had many great views of mountain goats, the Valley, and waterfalls to distract us.
After reaching the bottom, we went straight to Five Guys for some well deserved burgers and fries :) Now that we have done Mount Timpanogos together, we plan on never hiking it again! Which is just fine with us. And it was a good thing that we hiked it that weekend--just a week later, this is what Mount Timp looked like!
Similar to our mini first anniversary trip last summer to Steamboat Springs, we had just a few days between our summer jobs in Southern California and needing to get back to Provo for school. Earlier in 2016, we decided that we would take turns planning our anniversary celebrations so that we could each have the chance to surprise the other. This year was Dustan's turn. We were headed to Yosemite National Park!
We finished up our jobs on Thursday the 18th of August. By that night, the car was all packed and ready to go. We woke up early on Friday morning to drive to Yosemite, about five hours away from El Segundo. We threw on Jim Dale's narration of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (we had already listened through the first six books) and we were off!
Day 1
That first day on Friday, we just drove straight into the park, arriving in the early afternoon. Our first stop was at Tunnel View. Holy amazing!! You are driving through the park when you enter a tunnel. The traffic is slow. When you leave the tunnel, you are at first blinded by the bright (and very hot) sun, then you see the views. Beautiful! The road just opens up to Yosemite Valley, surrounded by the famous rock formations El Capitan and the Three Brothers. It was definitely an impressive first look.
El Capitan on the left, Three Brothers on the right
Our next stop was what everyone's first stop should be at new place. The Visitors Center! We got some hiking recommendations and figured out which famous waterfalls had already dried up from the hot summer.
After getting the information we needed and getting hopelessly lost in the urban area of Yosemite, we drove a shorter distance to hike/walk to Mirror Lake. This short trip gave us some stellar views again of the sheer rock walls that make Yosemite so famous. Unfortunately, the "lake" at the end of the hike wasn't much of a lake at the end of the summer. More of a pond.
A cairn field!
We'd done such a short little walk on Friday because we needed to get back to our accommodations in time for check-in. We couldn't help ourselves when we were driving out of the park to stop by this awesome river running alongside the road though (Dustan really wanted to try out a new neutral density filter we got for the camera which basically makes it so that you can take very long exposures without making the picture too bright).
After a few pictures, we continued the long drive to Chowchilla, CA with our farmhouse airbnb. Chowchilla was unfortunately about an hour and a half outside of the park, but it was worth the cost. Most hotels inside the Sierra National Forest even close to the Park are hundreds a night. Driving a few extra hours each day was worth staying in a room that was only $35 a night on a cute farm. Even if it was in the middle of nowhere, haha.
As soon as we got settled in our little room above the garage, we went out to dinner at Farnesi's Steakhouse while we waited for the weather to cool down enough to sleep (it was over 100 degrees that afternoon in Chowchilla). That night, we went to bed to the wonderful sound of goats and dogs.
Day 2
Saturday was going to be a little more strenuous than Friday's little jaunt. We made sure to get our eight hours of sleep before packing our hiking gear and making the drive. Our typical hiking gear included: lots of water, a couple granola bars for me, some homemade granola balls for Dustan (since he hates store bought), a handful of Redvines, a few hard boiled eggs, camera, tripod, neutral density filter, GoPro with a few attachments, a phone, ID, sunscreen, sunglasses, and chapstick. Then we're all set :)
We parked our car at one of the biggest lots in Yosemite Valley and took the free shuttle to the base of our hike. We would be hiking the Four Mile Trail up to Glacier Point. You can drive about an hour up to Glacier Point, but that obviously takes out all the awesome views and getting some exercise. The trail was just over four miles to the point (as you could probably guess from the name), and it was ALL uphill switchbacks. We started the hike close to noon with the sun blazing, so we were sweating in no time.
But the views were just amazing. With each new turn, we could see Yosemite Valley in all its glory. And it just got better and better as we ascended. But let me tell you, going from no exercise during the summer other than laying on the beach to this hike was not the easiest, haha.
Hottie Husband feat. Half Dome
We made it to the top in about four hours with lots of stops to take pictures. We were a little disappointed with how many tourists had driven up to Glacier Peak compared to how few people had been hiking. Cheaters! But it was still great. We spent a few minutes just soaking it in while eating a small lunch/snack, wishing we had brought money for the ice cream in the shop found on top. Then it was picture time! We weren't about to let carrying all our camera gear up the mountain to go to waste.
Half Dome on the right
We decided to be rebellious and ignore the "DO NOT ENTER" sign and take a picture on the awesome pride rock. It was worth it, and we didn't even get in trouble with the rangers!
After getting our fill of leg resting and pictures, we had an important decision to make: would we take Four Mile Trail back down the mountain, or the longer 8 mile Panoramic Trail? After gauging how our (mostly my) legs felt and realizing how close we were to sunset, we decided to just take Four Mile back down. And we're so glad we did! The views of Yosemite Valley as the sun was setting were gorgeous. This trail was also partially paved, which made getting down fast.
We made a quick stop at the Village Store to buy some over priced sandwiches for dinner before heading back to Tunnel View to watch and capture the stars as they came out. Living so close to LA, we barely saw any stars this summer. Yosemite had amazing views of the whole Milky Way, which we attempted to take pictures of with some success. As soon as the moon began coming out and overshadowing the stars, we again made the drive back to Chowchilla.
Day 3
Sunday rest day! We went to the Chowchilla ward in the morning. One of the nicest and most welcoming wards ever! But with some interesting opinions (ie: Bernie Sanders is a communist, Hitler isn't taught in schools anymore, etc. haha). After church, we just relaxed around the farmhouse, chatted with our hosts, and looked through our pictures from the previous days.
Dustan had originally planned to have us go into Yosemite to do some chill sight seeing on Sunday, but with commute time it wasn't quite worth it to be in the park only for a couple hours. And besides, our legs needed the rest for what was planned for at last day.
So when 5:30 pm hit, we ate dinner, packed up the car, and went to bed. Yes, that early. Because the next morning, we would be waking up at 2:30 am to hike Half Dome!
Day 4
The most difficult hike in Yosemite National Park, Half Dome is 14 to 17 miles roundtrip (depending on which trails you take) with 4,800 feet of elevation gain. Fun fact, it has also been on a myriad of different lists as one of the most dangerous hikes in the States/world. So that's pretty cool. Though you can do a majority of the hike without it, you need a lottery obtained permit to climb to the peak. This peak, at 8,842 feet, can't be reached without the help of a couple cables that are strung up the last 400 feet of the sheet granite mountain.
So, we woke up at 2:30 am to do this hike. Just two days after doing the second most difficult hike in the park, Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point. But we had applied for the permit to hike on Saturday and didn't get it. We applied again for Monday, and we got the permit! So we had to, really.
After waking up so early, we quickly finished packing up the car and drove the hour and a half to Yosemite. There is no parking at the base of the trail and the shuttle didn't run so early, so we walked from our car the extra half a mile to the trailhead. We began the hike at about 5:45 am, going up the Mist Trail on the way to Half Dome (rather than the John Muir Trail, which is longer but less strenuous).
The first couple miles of the hike were absolutely gorgeous. It was light enough within the first 30 minutes to no longer use our head lamps. Thank goodness, because there were some great waterfalls that give the Mist Trail its name. Apparently in the spring, these waterfalls are so strong from mountain runoff that they completely soak the hikers. Because we went so late in the season, we just had a nice cool breeze.
The first waterfall we came across was Vernal Falls, just as it was starting to get light outside. The steep trail stairs went up right alongside the waterfall. It wound around so that we were hiking atop the waterfall itself.
Tiny little Dustan!
After another mile or so of steep stairs and rocky trails, we reached Nevada Falls. This waterfall was a bit farther away from the trail and not quite impressive, but still a good reason to take a break for pictures. Soon after, this trail hooked up with the longer John Muir Trail to continue up to Half Dome. If you don't obtain a permit to summit Half Dome, there is no reason to continue farther than this point--the trail until you near the peak was just long and fairly boring. Eventually, a ranger would stop you to check for permits before you could reach any spectacular views anyway.
As I said, the middle miles (like miles three to six) were rather uneventful. We were winding through the canyons of dead trees. But eventually, we were able to crest the Sub Dome and start getting some stellar views! From there, it was steep switchbacks/stairs before we finally reached the base of the Half Dome.
Standing at the base of Half Dome was just a little daunting. It was way more steep than it looked in pictures! There were two thick wire cables that were strung up the sheer granite. Each place the cables were pegged in was a two by four to give climbers some grip (we didn't realize how vital these were until we started). At the behest of hikers coming down, we grabbed a pair of thick gloves from a pile at the bottom of the cables that were left for people like us who didn't bring any. Then we began climbing!
At first, climbing up Half Dome was more comparable to some steep hiking. The cables were helpful but not really necessary. But as soon as we were about a third of the way up our 400 foot climb, the cables and two by fours were completely needed. We were nearly vertical at some points, relying a lot on our arm strength to tug ourselves up the mountain. I thought I was exhausted earlier, it was nothing compared to how I felt after climbing up this Dome.
Couldn't have done it without you, 2x4s!
Unfortunately, we didn't have much time to appreciate the view from Half Dome's summit--which was of course stunning. I felt like we could see the entirety of Yosemite (not true though). Though not one of the tallest peaks in the Park, Half Dome was still quite high at 8,853 feet. But this also meant we were closer to the storm clouds that were brewing. And we did not want to be stuck on a granite rock when it hit! So we quickly veered off the the right from the cables where the best views were to be rumored--and that they were!
Again, tiny Dustan!
Thank you to a nice old man who had hiked Half Dome 42 times and offered to take our picture standing on the cliff--though I was a little concerned about it in his hands. I made Dustan take a few more pictures before we rushed off the mountain.
One plus about going down the cables when a storm looks like it's coming, there were a lot less people to try and pass! We slid down easy. Dustan opted to do down forward while I went backwards. Going down, we figured out why those gloves were necessary. Because the Dome was so steep, we simply slid down on our shoes most of the way. Even with gloves on, I burned a couple holes through them and got multiple blisters.
Once we got down from Half Dome and Sub Dome and were undercover of some trees, we finally paused to eat some lunch. Of course by then, the storm was almost completely gone, without even hitting us. Hiking back was fairly uneventful, especially in those middle boring miles. We decided to take the longer but less steep (our [my] legs were shot) John Muir Trail back down. This gave us a new angle on Nevada Falls that we hadn't gotten on the Mist Trail.
Half Dome is on the left! Nevada Falls on the right. Some other mountain smaller than Half Dome (really, I promise) in the middle.
Once we passed the Falls, my legs lost all will to move--and we still had a few miles to go! I don't think my legs have ever been so exhausted and my feet so pained than during the last miles of this hike. But...we made it! 16 miles in 13 hours (slightly more than our normal hiking average, but I claim exhaustion from hiking Four Mile Trail two days before).
And what did we do after that hike? Washed off the dirt, grime, and sweat in a Yosemite river, then drove nine hours (made into 11 hours with a short nap) through the night back to Provo! We definitely would not recommend skipping a nights sleep after hiking Half Dome. But that's just us ;)
And now we are back in Utah with the normal grind--school and homework. But thanks to the best husband for planning a this adventurous pre-anniversary trip :)
