Date with Deaner

Lindsey and Kevin (her BF) came to visit us last weekend. It was pretty stellar. Brian worked on his day off (again) and so it was nice to have them to canoe and play with! They hiked Table mountain (as seen above) while I was working Saturday (I hiked it with Sven and Brenna when it was snow beginning of June but have no photos).


Before church on Sunday with my Deaner.


Sunday breakfast. I love that the ice cream is on the table before 10am.

I've just been working and being bored lately. Brian just got down from a Lower Saddle patrol (three days climbing the Grand) and then he leaves again next week for another. He worked on his day off and will be shooting tonight, so gone again. Gotta love this time of year.

What insane looks like.

It looks like getting called on a heli-rescue an hour before church
Followed by a second "rescue" the next day-- hiking up to the Middle Teton until 2am and having to remove a young persons body.
Sleeping three hours, getting helicoptered back down the next morning.
Getting a call 30 minutes later that 17 people were struck by lightning on the Grand Teton and need to be evacuated. All have suffered burns; one strike melted a hole in an ice axe.
Then working to get them off until 10pm inbetween thunderstorms.
Then waking up to try and find the one that is still missing this morning.
Finding the body after a 1000ft fall.

Brian has been working like a madman. . . and I have been watching it all happen and re-thinking my plans to climb the Grand next Mon/Tues (who does that pregnant anyway)?

Just don't ask me where you can find a moose. . .

Our baby wants to say "OH HEY!" Some pictures of our baby girl; hot off the press. Seeing her in the ultrasound was amazing.

Gotta love this guy. B has been one busy bee. He's been on several medical calls but yesterday he was on the first major SAR in the park. They helicoptered him up to the Paintbrush divide, he helped treat and package a guy who had slipped on a steep snow field and had a compound tib/fib fracture. Brian and the team short-hauled the guy off. He's been climbing and hiking all over these mountains. Words can't express my jealousy. . .

The wildflowers are off the hook right now. Arrowleaf balsamroot pictured here, but there's no end to the lupine, larkspur, paintbrush etc on the lower slopes.

I spy a baby bump-a-rooski. We hiked over to Delta lake from Surprise and then down the Apex trail. It was perfect weather.

Delta Lake.

Picture THIS:

REUNION! All of my siblings were able to make it (minus Sarah's husband James and Emily's husband Jerry) up to Swan Valley, ID for our family reunion. It was SOOO good to see everyone. I love these guys! We hiked in the Tetons, played in the creek, talked for hours, played mafia and Ticket to Ride, ate lots of food, chased the kids, played croquet and had a blast!

Brian at the Ranger Station with my mom and dad.

The Nerf gun wars. Brian officiated and the kids went wild.

The ladies! (minus Kiyomi who had already headed home to Cali with my bro Ryan).

On Patrol. . . hiking with Mary in Death Canyon a few weeks ago:

Canoeing the Snake River through the park. Bobby came up from Canyonlands and we made a day of it out on the water (last Monday):

I have been begging Brian to take me up Teewinot-- the mountain that looms right above our cabin. The snow hasn't melted yet and it is still early season, but I was worried about being too big (belly wise) to climb it later. Yesterday we finally had a chance (and great weather) to bag it. I have to say it was way more legit than I was expecting.

On the way up; wildflowers, waterfalls and perfect 70s weather.

It was an ice axe/crampon climb and the snow was STEEP. There were a lot of rock to snow transitions(lots of taking off and putting back on the crampons). We met one other party attempting, but they turned around after not being able to find the route. I tried to capture the steepness, but this picture doesn't even show the route we were climbing.

Me on the summit. This is probably the coolest summit in the world. It really is as small as it looks (you can barely get two people up there) and the exposure was insane. It drops right off! That is the Grand behind me.

Me and B on the summit. Glad that I can look at Teewinot in the eyes now and I finally feel at peace having made it up something. That was driving me nuts!

Teewinot [5 months pregnant]

Brian and I climbed Teewinot July 5th. Still tons of snow. He was reluctant because we didn't leave until 8am, there is still TONS of snow (which meant crampons and ice axes) but just enough snow melt (that meant lots of transitions and changing gear) to make it slow. We went any way and it was awesome. I have to admit, being prego I was a little more nervous. Don't know why. It was pretty airy at the top-- the exposure pretty insane on the steep snow. I didn't let myself think about slipping 2000ft to my death. I just kept following up and then down again.

The summit was one of the coolest I have ever been on. . . and possibly the smallest. Very cool. 

Baby on Board

It's TRUE! I'm 20 weeks pregnant today. Kind of explains some odd behavior earlier this spring. . . my paranoia about freezing while doing Larry Canyon (I hauled a wetsuit through the whole thing b/c I was worried about hypothermia-- are irrational fears a side-effect of pregnancy?), freqent gagging at work, animal hunger while biking the white rim, sneaking food in church bathrooms on fast Sunday and the list goes on.

So we're due November 20th. I'm still in the "she looks fat" stage, but probably won't be in that for too much longer.

We've been busy! Family Reunion (with my fam), floated the snake river, Brian's climbing the Middle right now for work, potlucks, visitors and pictures to follow. . .