So we’ve been out of town for what seems like forever…nearly all of July. We were able to go to Idaho for Jacob’s cousin, Kendra’s wedding. Very nice to see all the family there. Then we went with Jacob’s parents and Justin & Maile’s family to a cabin near Park City for a little reunion. The cousins had so much fun together, and Shawnee planned some really cute things for us all to do…for the kids of course, although I’m pretty sure Jacob really enjoyed crazy hair day and learning a dance for Hawaii day. He was into it. And we all saw plenty of moose on our 4-wheeler rides.
The following week, we left the kids with my mom and went with my dad on his annual backpacking (“extreme-hiking”) trip into the Wind Rivers. There were 14 of us in all, quite a fun crew. We hiked in nearly 16 miles to a beautiful area, way up high. The Winds really are spectacular, especially high above tree line where it’s just rock and snow here and there. 
As you can imagine with Jacob around, we hiked a lot and fished. I hadn’t fly-fished in two years and it is still just as fun. We found some fun spots and caught quite a few. Jacob even tried his hand at bow-fishing (yes, he packed his bow in. Are you surprised?). You should have seen the boy scouts who were with us. He had quite an eager audience when he tried to skewer the fish with his arrows. No luck, unfortunately. Yet, the scouts are completely in awe of mountain-man Jacob, and I’m sure they want to grow up to be just like him. In the midst of all of this rugged, manly activity (there were only 2 of us girls on the trip—and seriously, I was most glad to get home so I could have a little privacy. Trying to find a private bathroom spot with 13 other people camping around you can be a wee bit stressful! Anyway…), I still found time to read...a lot. There was one rainy day that gave me plenty of time to relax and read some good books—among my latest favorites: The Hunger Games and The Beekeeper’s Apprentice. Both very good.
And even though one of the scouts prayed that we would see a bear, another year went by without a sighting. I’m okay with that.
The following week, we left the kids with my mom and went with my dad on his annual backpacking (“extreme-hiking”) trip into the Wind Rivers. There were 14 of us in all, quite a fun crew. We hiked in nearly 16 miles to a beautiful area, way up high. The Winds really are spectacular, especially high above tree line where it’s just rock and snow here and there. 
As you can imagine with Jacob around, we hiked a lot and fished. I hadn’t fly-fished in two years and it is still just as fun. We found some fun spots and caught quite a few. Jacob even tried his hand at bow-fishing (yes, he packed his bow in. Are you surprised?). You should have seen the boy scouts who were with us. He had quite an eager audience when he tried to skewer the fish with his arrows. No luck, unfortunately. Yet, the scouts are completely in awe of mountain-man Jacob, and I’m sure they want to grow up to be just like him. In the midst of all of this rugged, manly activity (there were only 2 of us girls on the trip—and seriously, I was most glad to get home so I could have a little privacy. Trying to find a private bathroom spot with 13 other people camping around you can be a wee bit stressful! Anyway…), I still found time to read...a lot. There was one rainy day that gave me plenty of time to relax and read some good books—among my latest favorites: The Hunger Games and The Beekeeper’s Apprentice. Both very good.And even though one of the scouts prayed that we would see a bear, another year went by without a sighting. I’m okay with that.
Here is a picture for all the "wildlife" enthusiasts.
