It's the most wonderful time...of the year!!

You would think it's Christmas, 
or someone's birthday at our house with how excited I am. 

 It's time for our annual backpacking trip! 
 I look forward to this 3-4 day adventure all year long!
Wish there was more time to do what we love, but backpacking in the high country is only about a 5 week long opportunity as there is so much snow up there that you usually can't start backpacking

until the last week of July or the first week of August. 

While we are out enjoying our 2011 adventure, 

I thought I would share photos and details of the FUN we had on last years adventure in 2010

(since it was a hectic year and I didn't get this posted last August). 

(Here's our adventure 2009)

Adventure 2010

 Stunning beauty...

I never tire of the mountains, wild flowers or the backpacking in the high country with my family!

Stopping for a snack break, 

before we head down into Alaska Basin.

Preparing for the storm coming in and planning the best way possible to get off the mountain safely.

LOVE Tracy's profile on the left side of the photo.

YES,  

rain is part of every adventure we experience each year. 

It wouldn't be a backpacking trip, if we didn't experience 

RAIN and SNOW 

as well as sun and hot weather!   

(Weather of all kinds...

It is ALL GOOD!)

8:00 at night and we are FINALLY 

getting our tent set up

The view from our tent 

after we are all settled in.

SO excited to get cozy in my sleeping bag and THRILLED to be eating breakfast on the rocks the next morning while we're waiting for things to dry out.

Up before the sun rose over Buck Mountain...

this is the view I enjoyed as I went and filled up our bottles with water so we could make breakfast

BATTLESHIP Mountain in the background...

truly my favorite mountain!

I LOVE noticing the ever changing clouds...

looked up at just the right time and noticed this cloud looked like a "thinking cloud" as we were packing up our gear and ready to head over the mountain to Sunset Lake 

Almost there...

Setting up Camp...

Relaxing on the granite slab,  

enjoying watching the clouds roll on by...

realizing that we have a storm rolling in that brought SNOW!!

Such fun, sitting on the large slabs of granite, enjoying dinner, great conversation, beauty and just being able to relax without a care in the world!   

This is the life!! 

The view of our camp that we saw when we went and rinsed our dinner dishes in the stream below our campsite.

Kimmie is happy, Happy, HAPPY!

Getting ready to sit and enjoy the sunset 

with the love of my life!  

The men...

getting ready to pull down our bear bags so we can fix breakfast.

The kids are happy...

enjoying some hot ZOOM cereal to give them energy to hike up Hurricane Pass.

 And we're off for another 

wonderful day's adventure! 

Tracy never ceases to make me laugh...

 he is such a goof ball and is always doing silly things.
In this photo he had just found a pack cover that someone lost on trail and he put it on until I noticed.

I laughed so hard!

One of the things I love most about him 

is there is never a dull moment and always an abundance of  LAUGHTER each day of my life!! 

WE MADE IT TO THE TOP!

Tracy's brother-in-law's family...

Ty, Tom, Shae, Sheldon, and Isaac
(Tom is Tracy's sister Lisa's husband)

Heading back down...

sad to leave the gorgeous Hurricane Pass

 I love this view...

my adorable son, trekking along up in the high country!

His hat and stride are priceless!  

One last view of Sunset Lake...

it was a perfect reflection that moment in time!

I wonder what this year's adventure will be like?

I'm absolute certain that this quote by John Muir, sums up my feelings perfectly!

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.  

Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.  

The winds will blow their own freshness into you,

and the storms their energy, 

while cares will drop off like autumn leaves".   

I love my happy, fun, 
adventurous life!