Pioneer Day

On Friday--which was the 24th of July, aka Pioneer Day here in Utah--I dropped David off at summer camp, put Mary in the backpack, and hiked down Bald Mountain with Aunt Marie and my mom. Yes, you read that correctly, I hiked down the mountain. We did it the wimpy way and took one of the Deer Valley lifts to the top. I don't think any amount of Zumba classes could prepare me to hike up any mountain with Mary on my back. Besides, we had to be back to pick David up at noon--that's a good excuse, right?

It was still an adventure, as the trail was steep, and it was slow going. But it was so much fun. Mary enjoyed the ride, and, after a brief nap, sang "Five Little Monkeys" to herself all the way down. The views were beautiful, and I was amazed by the wildflowers. I also must say that one of my very favorite sounds is the gentle rustling of aspen leaves in the breeze.

Here are Marie and my mom after our strenuous ride to the top. (My mom is making a perky I-see-a-cute-little-girl face for Mary, who was on the photographer's back. Those two are getting to be great friends.)

(By the way, we did make an appearance that evening at the Park City Pioneer Day Celebration. Okay, so we only stayed two minutes before David decided he'd rather skip the chaos and head to the playground. But you can't be in Utah on the 24th of July without doing something to commemorate Pioneer Day!)