OCTOBER 2024!!

 

Lindy and I found this crazy big skeleton in the backseat of a Jeep, parked at the Millcreek City Offices where we were meeting up with the Dicksons to present a case for a better crosswalk on 900 East (near the Dickson's house) to the Millcreek Community Council.

Casey picked these beauties in early October!

I headed down to the north rim of the Grand Canyon on October 2nd for an epic rim to rim to rim hike over the course of 2 days. My friends have been organizing trips to the Grand Canyon for a few years but every year I seem to have an excuse (generally that I'll miss one of the kid's big cross country races). This year I told them I was coming, no matter what. I committed. Turns out that it was a half-hearted commitment though because I didn't start training, at least not seriously. I was doing my regular short hikes once a week and running a few times during the week but not getting in the longer, more significant hikes that are necessary to train for this kind of beast. Luckily, Carlynn word-whipped me into shape, prompting several major hikes over the past 6 weeks. I finally felt ready and hoped my 50-year-old body would hold together for the major expedition (pretty much 50 miles with over 11,000 feet of vertical gain and loss over 2 days and the bonus, added allure--the inner canyon was forecast to be cooking at 103° on both hiking days). When I heard about the extreme weather forecast I was more concerned about the heat than anything else.

We started things off Wednesday night at the Jacob Lake Lodge with a game of H.O.R.S.E. Somehow I won. Zeke would've been proud.

The R2R2R team: Levi (Kimberly's nephew), James (Carlynn's brother), me, Shannon, Kirsten, Cory and Carlynn. Kimberly and Jen were also with us (we missed getting a photo with them in it) but decided to hike down to Roaring Springs and then back up, planning to drive around to the South rim to meet us later that night. We started from the north rim and headed down the North Kaibab Trail early on October 3rd. It was dark, windy and cold (dust was wildly swirling around us on the descent) but we warmed up quickly and the sun soon started to illuminate the vast canyon landscape below us.

Me, trucking down the North Kaibab Trail.

The team on the Redwall Bridge

Our goal was to stay in the shade as much as we could and to get through The Box, a 3 mile section of black vishnu schist basement rock, before it got too hot. 

We took a quick side hike to Ribbon Falls where I promptly jumped in to decrease my core temperature before we started our ascent up the Bright Angel Trail and up to the South Rim.

There is a secret passageway behind those rocks!

The team, cooling off at Ribbon Falls.

The relaxing Ribbon Falls rest stop.

We completely doused ourselves in the water spigots at Phantom Ranch and purchased a couple bags of ice to fill our water bottles and stuff down our shirts (and even under our hats). Amazingly, that made the heat bearable. I also found that keeping my long-sleeved sun shirt soaked was super effective in keeping cool in the scorching heat!

Unfortunately, all of the water I was pouring on myself got into my shoes and started the formation of several monster blisters (even though I'd purchased that 100% guaranteed blister-free socks from REI before our trip). We took one more opportunity to soak in Bright Angel Creek, a spring-fed delight, before cranking up several thousand feet of elevation to the South Rim.

After this it was all uphill in the afternoon heat (but mercifully, mostly in the afternoon shade). 

Shannon, Kirsten and I, reenacted the trailside warning sign. The last couple of miles were hard. My feet were hurting (but ibuprofen helped tremendously). I had expansive blisters between my toes and on the heels of my feet. I was exhausted. (I don't think I took in enough calories.) Kirsten was emphatically voicing, in no uncertain terms, that she was NOT hiking back the other way the next day--she'd figure out a way back to the north rim. Shannon and Carlynn kept telling me that after a good night's sleep I'd be ready to go in the morning. Amazingly, besides the blistered, painful feet, I did feel fine in the morning. After breakfast and ibuprofen, we were ready for the trail. Even Kirsten.

Ready for a repeat, we went back for another piece of the Grand Canyon. This time we descended the South Kaibab Trail to Phantom Ranch and then went back up the North Rim Trail. It was another long, epic day hike, encompassing obscene elevation changes.

Carlynn, James and Jen. (Kimberly, Cory and Levi had their fill and stayed on the south rim to do a milder adventure.)

Carlynn, headed down the steep South Kaibab Trail with the killer early morning views.

Kristen and I, resting in a small patch of shade. Day #2 of hiking put us in the sun much more than we would have liked, but we continued to douse ourselves with water along the trail, including employing two little spray bottles that I'd brought along for the occasion. Two more bags of ice and some lemonade at Phantom Ranch helped tremendously too.

We scouted out another fantastic soaking spot in Cottonwood Creek just past Phantom Ranch on the way back to the north rim. We ate our lunch while we lounged in the cold creek.

Thankfully, the later afternoon finally brought us sustained shade as we ascended the last several thousand feet of elevation to the north rim. I force-fed myself copious amounts of snacks as fuel and that along with a stream of stories to keep us preoccupied got us to the rim.

We were greeted by a tunnel of cheering spectators on the north rim (thanks to Shannon's request) just after the sun set. We made it!!! We also made it in time to eat a hearty dinner at Jacob Lake Lodge.

Sporting our victory shirts on Saturday at Kirsten's house upon our return to the valley.

October 3rd: Lindy at her very first cross country meet. We completely missed the actual first one because we were on our way to the Maple Grove Hot Springs. Then I missed this one because I was down in Arizona but Casey pulled through and made it happen!

On October 4th, Sophie and Hallee raced in the Region 6 XC Championship. Casey and the other kids were there to cheer them on. Sophie took 4th and Hallee took 5th. Hallee had another situation where she ran hard, staying in the lead group for the majority of the race and then fell off during the final stretch, barely crossing the finish line and then collapsing. Casey said her blood sugar was super high when the medics on site tested it. Poor thing. We'll keep trying to figure it out.

Skyline boys wont region title! They were so excited. 

Hiking up Emigration Canyon. The older kids hiked so fast that I never got a picture of them. Luckily, Sean and Bear will still mosey along with Casey and I in our old age.

Sean and Bear up Emigration Canyon.

On October 7th I chaperoned another Bristlecone field trip, this time to Tracy Aviary. Lindy and her best friend, Sam, shepherded little Otto around (the little brother of one of their classmates). It was so cute!

Casey ran into my mission president--President Van Orman--down in Provo at the Pioneer Village where he volunteers. They are wanting to restore a pioneer era adobe house and he called Casey to get a bid to do it.

Sophie, at our obligatory family caramel apple making session. The kids will not let us stop this October tradition. We made homemade caramel to dip our apples again this year and it was yummy!

Sean and Lindy, finishing up their masterpieces.

Hallee, digging in to her caramel apple.

Zeke.

Casey Bert.

Lindy, staging up for her final XC meet of the short season (held at Wardle Farms in Bluffdale) on October 10th with one of her teammates. At her first meet she ran a time of 18:01 (in a 3K race) and at this meet she shaved off more than 2 minutes from her previous PR and clocked in at 15:51:53. She was the 4th girl to cross the finish line and the 11th kids overall (including boys of various ages).  She definitely pushed herself and we were so proud of her effort.

Lindy, cruising to the finish line.

On October 11th, we attended the Deseret Peak Temple open house in Tooele. It was beautiful. We went out to a nearby pumpkin farm afterwards to pick out pumpkins and ended up buying a bunch of farm grown vegetables too.

Casey and Sean, picking out pumpkins at the Terre Family Pumpkin Patch in Grantsville.

This beauty turned 10 on October 12th. We planned a whole day of fun in her honor. We started with a quick trip over to Wasatch Waldorf's Harvest Festival and then brought the whole family up to Snowbird for a day of fun.

We spent the day up at Snowbird doing all of their outdoor summer activities. This is Lindy staging on the ZipWhipper. The object is to climb the wall, racing the clock, before you are whipped off in a giant pendulum swinging free fall.

Lindy made it to the top of the climbing wall, just as she was whipped off.

Zeke, ready to challenge the ZipWhipper. 

Hallee on the ZipWhipper.

Sophie, king-swinging over Snowbird.

Sophie and Lindy on the Alpine Slide.

Sean, getting ready to rip down the mountain.

Lindy loved everything that we did up at Snowbird. The only downside is that Ocktoberfest was happening up there that same weekend so there were lots of jovial, intoxicated people everywhere.

Casey on the Alpine Slide.

Sophie and Lindy on the Mountain Coaster. We really liked this one because it was so quiet (in juxtaposition to Oktoberfest). The coaster runs out into the forest, away from the crowds and then drops more than 3,000 feet as it winds down the hill through the trees.

Casey and Sean on the Mountain Coaster

Hallee on the bungee trampolines.

Lindy and Sean, riding the tram up to the 11,000 foot Hidden Peak summit. We ate dinner at The Summit restaurant on top of the peak.

Our fabulous 10-year-old!

Sophie and Zeke on Hidden Peak up at Snowbird.

Riding the tram.

Sophie Gene.

Lindy and I riding the chairlift to get another piece of the Alpine Slide.

Lindy on the Alpine Slide.

Lindy on the Vertical Drop--a free fall off a 50 foot tower. Lindy had no problem jumping off the edge, even after watching several people (including adults) get up there and then decide to abort.

Lindy! We also did the ropes course. It ended up being a lot of fun!

Back at home, we ended the day with brownies and ice cream at Lindy's request! We all love this little  (big) girl so much! She is vibrant, smart, funny and so much fun to be around!

Lindy's birthday banner!

On October 15th, Sophie and Hallee competed in the first round of the state XC championship--5A Divisionals at Lakeside Park. Here they are with the Skyline girls varsity team--Sophie, Hallee, Abby, Laura, Sophie K., Vika and Elena.

I love that they pray before every race.

Sophie out on the course at Lakeside Park in Orem.

Hallee ran a strong race with no disorientation or collapsing. She came in 2nd with a time of 18:26 on the 5K course. We were all relieved. 

Sophie came in 13th with a strong time of 19:37.

So proud of both of these amazing girls. They work so so hard.

Awesome to see both of these girls ranked so high in the 3 mile and the 5K. These are the current 5A rankings.

We took the 2 youngest kids down to the family friendly spook alley at nearby Millcreek Gardens.

Sean, Casey, Lindy and I at Festival Transylvania.

Sean with his new little friend.

Casey Bert.

Sean with his best friend, Barrett. 

Another mom took this cute picture of Sophie for the XC banquet. She is such a strong, beautiful girl.

Some of the Skyline distance runners!

Lindy has been co-authoring books with her classmate, Noah. This one is titled "The Secrets of the Ten Rings." Look for it at a fine bookstore near you. Lindy is so vibrantly creative!

Sean, Lindy and I took this picture on a random front lawn while we were out on a neighborhood walk. These skeletons were animated and sang and danced to spooky tunes.

The climbing wall is now wrapping onto the ceiling.

Sean stayed home from school on this day, not feeling well. We decided to go outside where we captured a cat-faced spider and then Sean did a "main lesson" page drawing of it for his "school" that day.

Lindy with some of her classmates on a field trip that I chaperoned to Antelope Island.

Sam and Lindy on Antelope Island.

Lindy found a deposit of clay while digging near the lake.

Wading near the Great Salt Lake.

Lindy (in the pink jacket) with her class exploring the Great Salt Lake.

The Skyline XC team with Coach Porter.

Chase and Grace at the annual Sullivan family Halloween extravaganza.

Our family Halloween portrait.

The Hoffmans.

The Northern Sullivans.

Grandma Ilean.

Hallee, trying out Casey's costume.

Hallee and Sophie at the family Halloween dance.

Lindy inside the pumpkin!

Sophie.

The infamous dance!

The family "ofrenda."

A quick visit from Kristen and Beatrix!

Sean with a praying mantis that he found in our back yard.

Casey and I joined Sean and Kim on a date night to Sicilia Mia and then to see comedian Jim Gaffigan at the Eccles Center.

For family home evening, we joined the Whites and set up an ofrenda at Wasatch Lawn under Paka's penthouse. We brought his favorite snacks and listened to an interview that my brother, Newel, made several years ago. It's about 45 minutes long and completely encapsulates Paka's big personality.

We brought up our collection of candles for the occasion.

Sophie and Sean, listening to Paka.

That is Zeke, spraying squeeze cheese right into his mouth.

On October 30th, these girls ran at the UHSAA state XC meet. 

The girls ran hard in the 5K staged through Sugarhouse Park. Hallee and Sophie were both (devastatingly) disappointed with their races. Both girls were in tears at the finish line. Sophie cried for a good 20 minutes. It was heartbreaking. Hallee had another situation where she was running with the front pack until the final stretch of the race and then started crumbling. Her coach thinks she's having extreme anxiety (essentially a panic attack) during high-stakes race. We are going to start meeting with a sports psychologist to try to work through it. I was so glad that she finished the race though. I am always so proud of these amazing girls. They work incredibly hard.

The girls ran hard in the 5K staged through Sugarhouse Park. Hallee and Sophie were both (devastatingly) disappointed with their races. Both girls were in tears at the finish line. Sophie cried for a good 20 minutes. It was heartbreaking. Hallee had another situation where she was running with the front pack until the final stretch of the race and then started crumbling. Her coach thinks she's having extreme anxiety (essentially a panic attack) during high-stakes race. We are going to start meeting with a sports psychologist to try to work through it. I was so glad that she finished the race though. I am always so proud of these amazing girls. They work incredibly hard.

Sophie, coming into the final chute. She finished 32nd in 5A with a time of 19:50.

Hallee. You can see her listing to port in this photo. She finished 16th with a time of 18:58. 

Sophie K., Elena and Sophie.

We decorated cookies with Dawn on Halloween morning.

Zeke joined his friends to trick-or-treat in Hank's neighborhood up above Foothill Boulevard.

We had neighbors and friends over for chili and rolls before sending out this herd of kids to scour the neighborhood for candy.

Casey, ready to hit the streets of Millcreek.

Shelley, Sophie, Hallee and Eleanore went out together. They all still love trick-or-treating!

We made the obligatory stop at the Snow's house for popcorn, hot chocolate and a movie. It makes a good break from all of the running. Our kids are legit when they go out trick-or-treating. It's a full sprint to cover as much territory as is possible in the allotted time.

Sean with his best friend, Barrett and Lindy brought her bestie, Sam, along. 

Sean and Barrett, glorying in their bounty after a night's work.

The spiky pumpkin was Lindy's. She is always so creative.

My pumpkin.

Sean's cute pumpkin.

This is how every Halloween ends--with the big sort.

Barrett and Sean.

The kids trade or give away the items they don't like and barter for the things they want. My kids all decided to leave their candy on the kitchen table (again) for the Switch Witch.

Hallee broke another record this year. To be precise, she broke her own record (set last year). This year she pulled up with a whopping TWENTY FOUR pounds of candy.

We have word that several pounds of this were collected from "take one" bowls that were poured into Hallee's pillowcase.

Sophie with her epic haul.

I always smile during the sort. I used to do the same thing as a kid. It's obviously genetic.