The van was packed full. We were lucky that the kids drove to the reunion with my parents - they may not have fit.
We drove across Utah to our campsite at the Great Basin National Park.
My parents and the kids got there early and had sites staked out for us. Ryan and his family arrived shortly after us. We got our tents all set up, and spent the night playing games, like Goblet of Fire.
The first night we slept well, but as the week went on we had leaky mattresses and a leaky tent.
We drove to Fish Lake to spend a few hours fishing (or reading).
The girls caught a fish and tried to throw it back, but it was too late. Rescue operations went on for a while, but he didn't make it.
The fish were too small to keep, but it was fun to visit a spot from our childhood. We once fished there and we caught so many fish, my dad spent the whole time taking care of our lines and couldn't fish himself.
After fishing, more of the family arrived. The little ones were fun to have there.
Cam & Sarah Matthew Zach & Wally
That night we tried a dessert from Pintrest - cooking cinnamon rolls on sticks over the fire. It didn't really work well, but it kept the kids busy for about an hour and a half.
Thursday, August 4, 2016
We started off the day with a hike we thought everyone could do. The ground was very rocky and uncomfortable to walk on.
The trail led us to this little "lake" made from the snow runoff from the mountains.
The whole Jenkins Family except Lex
We took a second trail to see ancient Bristlecone Pine Trees. Seth and I were excited because we participate in the Bristlecone Storytelling Festival each year. They looked just like the posters!
We all wore our Family Reunion shirts and got a lot of comments from fellow hikers.
That afternoon we went to Lehman Caves. Juliet asked one of the Rangers if there would be bats and the girl said there could be. Juliet freaked out and decided to go on the shorter tour. The Hills went on the longer one.
The caves were cool, but only a fraction of the size of Carlsbad Caverns. The guide told some cheesy stories about the caves.
Anna & Cam
Seth & Mason
Grandpa & Grandma Jenkins
The Hills
That night was Talent(?) Night. My parents sang, Ryan's family did soccer victory poses to music, and everyone else did lipsynchs.
The Hills lipsynched to The Schyler Sisters from Hamilton the Musical, with Cam being Aaron Burr, Seth was Angelica, I was Eliza, and Dave was Peggy.
We had made Dutch Oven chicken and potatoes for dinner, and we finished up the night with cobbler.
Friday, August 4, 2016
The next day was the BIG hike. Up Wheeler Peak. Cam stayed back in camp to help with the little kids. Seth and I stayed just behind the main group, and Dave and Chris ended up way behind.
Seth was awesome and didn't complain at all. I complained a lot. About midway up, I thought I got a cramp, but I must have pulled something. It hurt bad and as we got higher, it got so hard to breathe.
It took me forever, but I finally got to the top and I was able to write my name in the book that is stored in this mailbox. Seth and I sat and listened to "On Top of the World" by Imagine Dragons than ate our sack lunches. We were up so high it looked like we were really on top of the world.
We found the marker for the top of the summit. Jack is a crazy hiker. She is in great shape and tried to keep us motivated.
This was physically the hardest thing I have ever done.
The group that made it to the top.
Ryan, Zach. Sydney, Madison, Chase, Jacquelynn, Seth, Me, & Bo
On the way down, we found Chris pretty close to the top, and learned that Dave had gone as far as the tree line. Even the hike down was difficult because my body was so tired. It took a total of 8 hours and was 13,159 ft up.
When we got back, it got rainy and we had a rough night and a leaky tent. I ended up sleeping in the van. It was a fun reunion but I was ready to head home. I was so sore from the hike, it was a little hard to get around for a few days. The next reunion is in 2019 and the Hills are in charge!
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