the annual backpacking trip

My dad has taken us on backpacking trips since I was about 15. It's usually a three-day excursion in Wyoming, where few dare to adventure. Miles of dirt roads, the elevation, and no phone service seem to keep the crowds away, which is just how my dad likes it. 

Things started off a little dreary--we got out of town three hours later than planned because the truck broke down and then it rained all the way there. Miraculously, the rain stopped about thirty minutes into the hike. We took off the sticky ponchos and walked the rest of the way with the sun shining.

I think my dad selected this hike for its incredible landscapes and features. We trekked past Steamboat Peak which looked like the Titanic, slid down a glacier, and swam in an icy lake.

I think it's safe to say this was the most difficult hike my siblings and I have ever done. There were some cruelly steep peaks we [literally] climbed up and stumbled down. (One section was aptly named "Devil's Staircase.") All things considered, we made it. Dirt under our fingernails and behind our ears, exhausted feet, and sunburned necks, but we made it. We climbed up to 11,000 feet and walked about 23 miles, and even the elderly dog and the puppy survived. I think we all feel like big kids now.