yurt stoke

Yurt: a Turkish or Mongolian tent-like structure, the traditional dwellings of nomads in central Asia.

Pretty much, the coolest cabin you've ever seen.

This March a group of friends and I rented and stayed in the yurt up Green Canyon here in Logan, UT. It was incredible! The weather couldn't have been better and the hike in was beautiful. We left Logan late afternoon on a Friday, and the hike was pretty moderate. Total of 4 miles from the trailhead, and we hit snow about a mile in. During the summer this campsite is accessible by 4WD, but the road is blocked and the yurt is set up in the winter months for backcountry snowshoers and skiers.

We stayed overnight in luxury with four bunk beds, a wood burning stove, propane for cooking, and even an outhouse (in case your butt wasn't already cold enough from the walk over)! All we had to bring was our sleeping bags, personal gear, and food - everything else was provided. After bear creek soups for dinner that night we roasted s'mores and played campfire games.

The next morning we cooked pancakes and bacon for breakfast and melted snow for drinking/washing water. We left about 11 o'clock, and it was a little cloudy but we didn't have any snow or rain.

Katrina, Kelli, Kori, Braden, Jacob
Clarissa, Jame
me and Todd

Stoke level: through the roof!

Braden keeping it classy in sandals.

I'm happy to check this off the bucket list, but this will probably become a winter tradition. I think next year we'll rent it for a couple days and spend it snowshoeing and skiing some of the trails up there. This was an incredible experience and well worth doing again.

This yurt and two others up Logan Canyon are owned and rented by Powder Ridge Ski Tours. They keep their yurts well maintained and stocked. I would recommend them to anyone, check them out!

a moab christmas

Annual Andrew Christmas Day hike to Cowboy Hottubs

Christmas morning excitement (including a thoughtful gift from Santa to Olivia)!

Logan and Brooke

It's been hard to sit down and write about Christmas break because so much happened and I really haven't wanted to say that it's over, but in a nutshell, I...

...went duck hunting (I just need my duck stamp right? HEY DUCKS!! I hear I'm the best bird dog out there, so if you need a hound to flush out them ducks I'm your man), hiking, was the best man for my best friend's wedding, climbing on Wall Street, bearding (what happens when Olivia strokes your beard excessively), hiked, ate good food, snowshoed with Kerri, watched the Hobbit II and hung out in downtown SLC with my best aunt Naomi, more hiking....

Of course Christmas day wouldn't be complete without the traditional Andrew family hike. We went up the right fork of Mill Creek, and the stream was completely frozen over. I love ice hikes in the desert during the winter. Not very many people get to see Moab like this with thirty-foot icicles hanging from slowly dripping springs in the canyons and cliffs. As enjoyable as it is to cool off at Left Hand in the summer, I love it just as much in the winter.

And most importantly it was great to be with my family again after two years in California. This will probably be one of the last that we're all together, because Joseph will leave on his mission this summer, and then Anna will get married...

What Inspires You?

In 2008 Ueli Steck broke his own world record ascent of the Eiger in Switzerland. The north face normally takes four days to complete. It has earned the German nickname Mordwand, or "death wall," because more than sixty climbers have met their death on the mountain.

I will keep moving, and make progess in my life.

Ice Fishing

Today some friends and I went fishing in the LaSals. We rode Josh's four-wheeler with tracks, so that made the three miles to Oowah real quick! (faster than snowshoeing at least)

The fishing was great - the company was better.

Snowshoeing Oowah

Chillin' in sunny LaSal

Last weekend Ivy and I borrowed snowshoes from our friends Brian and Angela and headed to the mountains! We parked on the LaSal loop road and hiked in to Oowah Lake. Three miles uphill in 2-3 ft of snow is grueling, with or without snowshoes. As our first time snowshoeing, it was hard to get used to (never try to walk backwards with those on!), but it was fun. There had only been two other people up there since it had snowed. It was cool to see how the mountains had changed from the last time I had been up there to the deep snow and green pines. Recharged with energy bars and fruit leather at the frozen-over lake, we breezed back down the trail just as the sun was disappearing. So excited for our snowshoe trip in February!

Merry Christmas



Shorts and Chacos, baby.

 Another great family hike this year! The ugly weather opened a perfect sunny window for Christmas weekend, so we took advantage of it. We hiked the Moab Rim in almost-60 degree weather.

Holiday faves

• Colorful Christmas lights
• Peppermint hot chocolate
• Puffy coats and beanies
• Seasonal Clif Bars
• Hot spice punch
• Homemade toffee and peanut brittle
• Apple cider
• Pumpkin pie shakes (so bummed when The Diner was out the other day)
• Eggnog
• Smell of fresh snow
• Winter hikes
• Giving

Here's a little seasonal love. Share your traditions and favorites!

Winter Happenings

Just work and school right now. I'm working at Sunset Grill and still taking classes from the USU extention office. This winter has been cruel to Moab; we've gotten a ton of snow. I turned 18 in Febuary, so that means river guiding this summer! I'm training for the Moab Half Marathon in March and a 100 mile bike ride in Canyonlands, so things are looking up for an exciting spring. Here's just a few pictures of what's been happening.

Halloween: Joseph and I as PC and Mac.

Mock disaster and I was the unlucky one with his eye poked out.

Climbing at Ice Cream Parlor.

Sandhill: Jed and I strapped old boat thwarts together to create the ultimate seven-man sled.

The unexpected snowstorm at Theatre Conference.

Geyser Pass!

Just chillin'

Stencils

To fill the boredom of cold winter days, I've taken an interest in stenciling. I just modify pictures I've taken, print them out on cardstock, and cut them out with an X-acto knife. Layers of tape and spray paint later, I'm left with some pretty cool designs. So far I've stenciled a couple shirts and my messenger bag.

Front: WWCAD? (What Would Christopher Andrew Do?)

Back: Because I'm awesome.

I got a bleaching idea from instructables.com. I cut out my design, "CFA," on freezer paper (like wax paper except one-sided), ironed it on my jeans, and applied bleach from a spray bottle. It works pretty well!