Fourth of July

The original plan for the fourth of July was to hike the Cirque the towers, which is part of the Wind River Range.  We were planning on taking Madison the Brave, but as the time came closer, and the rain started in on SLC, I decided that backpacking and then sleeping with a wet dog in my tent who's prone to barking at every little thing wasn't in our (read: Madison's) best interest.  So, me and Mads stayed here, and Tommy and Josh (our friend who lives in Evanston, WY) decided to brave the Cirque regardless of the weather forecast.

I spent Friday wishing I had gone with them.  The rain had cleared up, and Madison was staring at me like she hated my guts for making her miss prancing around the Winds to the tune of "Born Free."  On Saturday (happy fourth!) I decided I would make another attempt, with my friend Ali, on the Living Room.  What's the Living Room, you say?  Well.  It's an elusive trail summit that I have been looking for for quite a while.  There are numerous trails behind the University of Utah (really close to our house), but no matter which one we took, me and Mads just couldn't find the Living Room.  But!  On Saturday, me, Madison, and Ali took a different trailhead on the advice of a friend who had found it already.  Armed with lots of water and sheer determination, we marched ourselves straight on up...and found it!    It turns out that the LR is aptly named; people took large slabs of rock and literally made chairs, a three seater couch, and a coffee table.  We couldn't quite figure out what the thing is I'm standing on in the first picture, but it made for a good shot, I think.

Meanwhile, I got home that afternoon, and the phone rang.  Tommy and Josh were back in Evanston as a result of a killer horde of mosquitos that were actively terrorizing the the Cirque.  Tommy said he was going to camp in the Uintas instead; Josh was giving up and going to a Fourth of July BBQ.  I went to see the fireworks in Sugarhouse park, and when I got home, T's car was in the driveway.  Josh had borrowed his lighter and forgotten to give it back.  Unable to cook anything, T wasn't interested in hanging out in his tent and munching on trailmix, so he came home.  I was glad.  It's always more fun to spend a holiday with your honey.