Thursday, August 28, 2008

Update

I have to apologize to all our readers for not posting in awhile. With all the work T and I have been doing to earn extra cash and with all the tasks to accomplish in preparation for our move to Oregon life has been busy. However, I wanted to sympathize with our readers because I know what it's like to check someones blog and never see an update. So here is an update on our happenings since we graduated.

Metcalf Family Reunion
T's family had a family reunion in Malad, Idaho the week after graduation. It was nice to see her family and especially her Grandpa. He came out from Virginia so see the family and it was nice to have him around. We played a lot of games including a lot of volleyball. The best day was when we went to Lava Hot Springs and played in the big pool they have with a three level high dive and water slides. Below are a few pictures of T and I jumping off the high dive.


J jumping off the highest platform
T jumping off the middle platform (she has much better form than I do)


Moving Prep.
In Preparation for our move we sold our couch to make the move easier. It was a bit sad to see it go. After we posted it to be sold on the BYU-Idaho website we debated whether we should actually sell it. The first person we invited over to see it took one look at it and said he'd buy it. T and I said to the fellow, "Are you sure, you haven't even sat on it yet." So, he sat down and said, "Yep, I'll buy it." He then left and came back 10 minutes later with a truck and away went the couch. It's a little sad to see something you bought when you first got married being sold away. Oh well, we can get a new couch and start new memories.
Good-bye couch, we probably won't miss you when we have a nicer one

Table Rock Mountain
Just this last Monday we went on another hike to try to get our Eastern Idaho fix before we move. We hiked Table Rock which is one of the tougher hikes in this area. After the experience I'm wondering if the spelling of the name should be Tab-hell Rock. It was a beast!
The hike started out fairly easy; we walked on pretty flat ground through some meadows and wild flowers (just a teaser compared to the 50% uphill grade we would eventually get to). After awhile I started to form a blister on the back of my heel and had to change my walk a little to relieve the pain. (I knew I should have not put on the socks that have a hole in them...what was I thinking). The changing of my walk was a serious mistake because it caused my hips to really hurt later in the hike when we were about a mile from the top and walking straight up hill. T practically bounded up the mountain with no trouble whatsoever which just added to my fury. I should take a minute, in my defense, to remind all our readers to go back a few post to when T ran her marathon. She is in much better shape because of that training than her pathetic husband. Though, during the whole hike I never had trouble breathing it was my darn legs that were causing the problem. I the last few years I have noticed a growing pain in my knees and have told T that I will probably need to get my knees scoped before I am 30. I blame it on being a catcher in baseball for 10 plus years of my life. Anyway, the knee situation only got worst.
Once we reached the top we rested, ate, took in the amazing view, and shot some photos of the breathtaking picture before us. Then it was time to make the decent and for the real hell to begin. If T thought I complained a lot about my legs and knees going up she got an earful coming down. We found out on the way up from a few people that there is another way up or down (depending on how yo look at it). It was called the face trail and everyone said it cut about two miles off the distance but was straight up or down. I'd like to add that every person we talked to recommended coming up that trail and going down the one T and I came up. T was not interested in taking that recommendation so we went down the trail every encouraged us not to.
Let's just say once we started down the mountain the hike got a whole lot worse for me. It was straight down with a ton of loose rock for the next two hours. If my knees were hurting on the way up I don't even remember...I thought I was going to loose every ligament in my both my knees on the way down. And do you know what T was doing on the way down, singing and whistling to herself as she practically skipped down the face.
After it was over you can imagine how I felt...I wanted to DIE! T on the other hand, when she was finished she said to me, "Ready to go to Jackson Hole and walk around."
Here are some pictures

The little nob on the right of the photo is Table (Tab-hell) Rock. The tall peak in the middle in called The Grand, the tallest peak in the Tetons.

T in front of The Grand and at the top of Table Rock
J thinking, "If I pose like this maybe no one will know how hard this hike actually was for me." This is about as close as you can get to The Grand without actually hiking it.

In my defense, T took this picture to show that the trail she chose to come down was not recommended, not only by the people we talked to on the trail but also by the state of Wyoming. I think I might go back to that site and post my own sign saying, "Dido!"

4 comments:

M said...

*laughter*

We ought to get T and Buddy together to do a hike somewhere around here since they both like it so much.

R said...

Interesting, there is a Table Rock outside of Molalla that is very similar. Ron and I took the scouts up it. Five hours of feeling like we were climbing a ladder. Hardest hike I've ever done. Took only 45 minutes to come back down it was so steep and we were able (had) to run it. The shocking thing was that there were oodles of people anc cars at the top...Ron failed to tell us you could drive up on the back side! Great views in your pictures. How was going of the 10 meter tower?

Nicole, Ryan & Jett Wilder said...

looks like you guys are having fun. I cant wait to see you two soon!

Myndi said...

My wit is such that it takes me time to come up with a good comment...j/k.

I couldn't help thinking of you guys when I was hiking to the arch.

I am jealous T is in such good shape! But feel better that you aren't!!!!!