Winter wonderland

Sometimes I love Utah.

My surrogate aunts, Deb and Diane, built a yurt in the Uintas this summer. Yurt: almost a cabin, much better than a tent. Michael and I wanted to test out our snowshoes so we drove up to the Ashley forest. I've used my snowshoes before, but mostly on packed snow where they weren't really necessary (just to look hardcore). We thought we would be hiking in about one mile, three at the longest. The Uinta's got 22 inches of snow the day before we arrived. So we hiked five miles. It was beautiful and put me in the Christmas mood since it felt like walking through a snowglobe, but I'm a little sore...still. Our favorite thing to do was stop in a random snow field and say, "This would have been a GREAT spot for the yurt!" Michael chose to sing most of the way...but it was still fun.

Diane ended up with the wrong skis and had to turn back,

but this picture is rather poster-esque I think.

Michael (as the strapping, young buck) got to pull the sled with supplies. This inspired the Christmas jingle "I am pulling a sled. I'm pulling a sled..." to the tune of sleigh ride. 

Tres hard core.

Outside the yurt.

Inside the yurt.

 Chilly birds.

 Sunrise.

 Wading through the snow. Just huntin'.