Wowzers, this one is nearly impossible: how am I supposed to narrow it down to just one memory? I decided to just find two pictures that give a general feeling of my favorite times, way back in the day and more recently.
Basically, most of my favorite memories involve being outside and having adventures with friends and family who mean a lot to me. I remember car camping in the LaSals way back when there were just three of us Hazletts and exploring arroyos before curling up on Grandma's lap to look at the stars. Then the Era of the Pop-up Camper, then the motorhome and cross-country travel. Girls' camp, snipe hunting, discovering hidden and unnamed canyons around Moab. Climbing mountains, each one "the hardest thing I've ever done!" (at least it felt so at the time ;). Lots of hikes and trips to the swimming hole, camping beside the river. Exploring new places like the Nauvoo groves, catching fireflies in Eastern woods at night. Even in New York, standing on a rooftop watching the snow fall in an orange glow. Sledding and climbing and escaping the summer heat in the LaSal Mountains. Lots of river trips with friends, inside jokes and grit and wind and riding the waves. Long days and tired legs and spectacular sunsets. INHUT - the spring term I spent backpacking & driving & canoeing all over Utah getting to know the people, places and history of this vast state. School trips to National Parks, and now living in one of the most remote and beautiful places in the world.
One of these pictures is my little cousin snuggled up in her sleeping bag at Hittle Bottom. The other is Sheena, Chris, Cody & me about to begin an overnight ducky adventure from the Portal to Gold Bar.
I think there's a special closeness you develop with people and with God when you're outside. Conversations are more open and relaxed, stress and distractions are lower, and you feel really alive. You get back down to the simple things and realize that relationships and wholesome dose of fresh air really are the stuff of life :D
I love the way you use words to help others see, think and feel the way you do about the wonderous beauty of the great outdoors. They always touch my heart. L O L Grma
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