A little Autumn Adventure

The North Ogden Divide Trailhead connects several trails, including the Great Western Trail that spans 4,455 miles through Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana.

A little bit of trail info.

Um, yeah... we're not hiking this far today.

Beautiful beginnings

James is getting a little impatient with the photographer.

Horses and motorcycles take this trail too.

Feeling fine so far.

Potty break, anyone?

The view of both valleys from the ridge.

Dirt for sunscreen?

This squirrel and I had a long conversation.  He would not reliquish his nut.

I think our shoes are broken in now.

I'm on top of the world! (But not exactly sure of the elevation.)

After weeks of weird work schedules, James was feeling a little neglected.  (It's always nice to be missed a little.)  Rebecca decided a hike would be a great idea.  The Utah trees are dressing for autumn and Rebecca's coccyx is on the mend... plus, with finances as they are, Rebecca thought going into the great outdoors would be less costly than walking the mall or staying in town. 
     We got a later start than we should, leaving the house at about 12:30pm.  We stopped to help one of our older neighbors catch her dog and drove on to the mountain.  The trail chosen was one that James had kidnapped Rebecca for a night hike.  She said she wanted to go back and see it in the light of day.  She also said she wanted to reach the summit.  Period.  So, the hike began. 
      Beautiful!  Rebecca was a little concerned because there was no sunscreen in the car as usual.  Someone had removed it.  But, James said he'd hiked this portion of the trail in an hour, no problem... No problem.
Except, there were problems.  It was honestly one foolish decision after the next.  No one knew where they were going.  Neither of them had eaten enough for that morning.  Rebecca had been sick with the flu for the two days previous to the adventure.  They had no watch to tell them how long they had been out.  But they pushed on.  Rebecca stubbornly insisting that she wanted to reach the summit. 
     She pushed beyond exhaustion.  An unwise decision two-miles up a steep trail with two, long, steep miles to hike back down.  James told Rebecca to drink all of the water that was left when her fingers started to tingle.  He held her shoulders to steady her when she became dizzy.  He carried her on his back when the loss of her depth perception prevented her from placing her feet.  And then they prayed.  They weren't yet halfway down the mountain and uncertain of getting down in time to get Rebecca rehydrated.
     Vin Diesel showed up then.  (Well, that's what Rebecca's calling him.)  In all of his shaved head, brown-eyed kindness, and motorcycle racing glory... he offered a water bottle and then a ride down the hill to the car.  James followed on foot.  Rebecca mumbled something about riding a motorcycle being on her "Bucket List" and was thankful for all of the water kept in the back of the car and the random paper sack duck puppet Samuel had made in primary.  James was only two minutes behind her and rushed her home.  She slept in the car.
     A few hours later, Rebecca, still unable to regulate her body temperature and with gallons of Gatorade rushing through her system without seeming to absorb any of it, was taken by Rachel to the ER for an IV.  Her veins had collapsed, she could barely walk, and the nausea wouldn't subside.  Thankfully, the saline worked and, after two hours, Rebecca was up, alert, and begging for Carl's Junior.  (mmm...guacamole burgers).
     To our friends who know the rules of the hike as well as we do - NEVER BECOME COMFORTABLE in your own abilities that you think you are an exception to the rules.  A one hour hike can become a four hour ordeal and a trip to the emergency room.  The rules are there for a reason.  Be safe and prepared so that all of your adventures can turn out right.