Buffalo Peak

Last Saturday afternoon we took the kids up to Buffalo Peak.  It's a high peak that our landlords advised us to hike when we first moved into the house, but we hadn't made it happen yet.  After that whole snowing episode a couple of weeks ago, we decided we should make it happen asap, or we could miss our chance for the year.

It was a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours.  We first had to drive up the mountain a few miles on a paved road, then a few miles on a dirt road.  The kids loved the second half, and especially enjoyed making their "ahhhhhhhh" sounds as our Honda Pilot bumped over the rocks and dips in the road.  The views of the mountains with the incredible colors of fall were just beautiful.  It was only a 1/2 mile hike up to the top of the peak, but there was a 287 foot gain in elevation.  I had Eliza in the Ergo carrier and Ben carried Jack in our landlord's hiking backpack (which they gave us permission to use).  The end of the hike was a bit sketchy, with slippery rocks on the trail and a steep incline to the top of the peak, but it was well worth it.  The view was awesome, the weather was beautiful, and we all had a wonderful time.

Here is Cat approaching Buffalo Peak.  You can see that we had quite a climb getting up there!

Eliza and me at the top.  We did it!

View of the BYU campus from the top of the peak.

Another family picture, minus 1.  Just imagine me with the rest of the crew.

Eliza had fun exploring at the top of the peak.

C & J enjoying the view.

When Eliza got a turn in the hiking backpack as we prepared for our descent, she gave us our first smile of the  hike.

On the hike back to the car, we let Jack do a lot of walking by himself.  This was scary for us, since he didn't like to walk on the steep slippery trail, but preferred running.  Thankfully, we all made it out alive without any major falls or accidents.

Cat started throwing the fallen leaves in the air and pretty soon Ben joined in.  The picture didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped, but it was pretty fun!

Cat was a great hiker for about 70% of the hike.  Then she decided it was time for Daddy to carry her.

Just a few shots of the gorgeous views, complete with awesome fall colors, during our drive and our hike.
Love it!!