Monday morning we decided it would be fun to hike up to the Y with the kids. Jenna and her girls had never been to Provo before, and none of our kids had been up there, either. Well, Nick had been carried to the top by Chris just before we moved to Switzerland, at the age of 2. But that doesn’t really count.
We had lots of water in the car, but didn’t think we would need it for the trail. It was a casual walk, not even a real hike! I was thinking it would take us 40 minutes or so, and then we could go on with the rest of our planned activities for the day. Ha! I swear, I remember it being much flatter when we hiked it 11 years earlier. Maybe because I was 11 years younger? I don’t know. But between no water, the blazing sun, the jet lag we were still experiencing, and that difference in elevation, we were dying before we even got 1/4 of the way up.
Alexandra wanted to be carried, Sarah was having trouble breathing, and everyone else was dying of thirst and using what little energy they had left to complain! But the view was amazing.
Oh Happy Valley, you are so unique!
I told the kids that in order to get ice cream from the Creamery, they had to touch the Y. That kept them going until we got about halfway. But Chris had already turned back with Alexandra and Sarah. Lexi followed soon after. Nick was way ahead of us, Sophie and Mia were between him and Jenna, Noah and I. All of a sudden, Nick was back by us! He had gotten to switch back 11 (there are only 12) and then thought he had gotten lost, because he couldn’t see how the path led to the Y. He was very upset about it all.
By that point, I realized that this was not going to be the great family experience I had wanted it to be and I should just cut my losses. I sent him back up the mountain to get Mia and Sophie who were waiting where he had told them to stop “because we aren’t on the right trail”. (he thought we were ALL lost somehow) Anyway, he was mad about that, but I told him it was his punishment for running ahead in the first place, when we had told him to stay within sight of us the whole time. They eventually all arrived where Jenna and I were waiting, and we headed down the hill together.
We made an executive decision that touching this Y also earned you ice cream at the Creamery. 🙂 And so we headed off to enjoy our treat and then have a tour of campus. We will conquer you another day, “Y”.