11,749 feet above sea level.

I had the opportunity to do something I hadn't done in a long time in climbing to the summit of Mount Timpanogos at 11,749 feet above sea level. This is definitely one of my most favorite places on earth. The last time I did this I was 18 and several (we won't say exactly how many) pounds lighter, but nevertheless it was still an amazing experience. Earlier this spring I set a goal that I was going to get it done for sure this summer before the end of summer. I hadn't found anyone willing to go with me until Karina mentioned my brother-in-law was considering going with some colleagues from work. I immediately called him and invited myself first, and then convinced him that he wanted to go!

We chose the Timpanooke route (my personal favorite) and agreed to meet everyone at the trailhead at 5am sharp. When we arrived at the parking lot of the trail head I was astounded at the number of people who had also decided to hike at the same time. Not a single parking spot available! So assuming the forest rangers would be merciful due to the sheer volumes of people hiking the mountain we parked right smack in front of a "No Parking Sign", geared up and headed to the trailhead.

I prefer hiking at night without flashlights and can usually see better anyways. The only problem was the lack of any moonlight, and the heavy tree cover made the trail pretty dark. So after a 15-20 minute wait for the others we decided to stick close to another group who had much better lighting and were kind enough to let us tag-a-long.

After an hour or so there was enough light I could begin snapping photos. This was taken right at daylight about 2 miles up the trail. You can see the Twin Peaks in the left of the picture that overlook Snowbird ski resort in Little Cottonwood Canyon.

This was one of my favorite pictures of the hike.

So after a little more than 14 miles of hiking one of the most beautiful and inspiring places in the world our feet sore, faces sunburned (actually blistered) we returned back to the car and found a $125 parking ticket!

Needless to say it was worth it.

My nasty sunburn.

Hiking so early in the morning before the sun rises you forget you still are going to need sunscreen.