Adventures with Seth Blatter
Our good friend, Amy (formerly Amy Bailey) had a friend named Seth Blatter. For one spectacular summer, I got regular invitations to tag along with Seth and Amy and their gang. Along with the regular good hang-out and clean partying that we did, we also had a few adventure style outings.
I had always wanted to hike Mt. Timpanogos (or Mt. Timp, as known by the locals). It's about a 16 mile hike round trip, so I assumed (correctly) that it would be about as strenuous as hiking Half Dome, which I had done enough times for it to be comfortable. Seth and the gang had done the hike many times, and they notified me of the plans to start hiking in the early morning (like 3am).
The only real time you can hike Mt. Timp is during the summer. During the other seasons, there's too much snow. I guess you could try in the Fall, before the first snow, but it would be extra chilly at the summit, and I'd stick to summer.
The problem with hiking in the summer is that Utah heats up pretty quick once the sun comes out. The best game plan for tackling Timp is to leave early (early) in the morning, pause for a few minutes at the peak to watch the sun rise, and haul your way back down the mountain before you get heat stroke. By hiking at night, you reduce the need to pack an extreme amount of water.
When the dead of night came, I was ready, and showed up at the rendezvous point with a few apples for snacks and some water to wash it down. I was told that there were two different paths to the top, and that we were taking the trail head above Pleasant Grove. We got hiking in the dark, and made out a few trial markers on our way up. There's a small cabin next to a small lake in a small valley just before you start up the real incline. There is a "saddle" along a ridge as you approach the final push. We were a little behind schedule, and hit the saddle just as the sun was coming over the East mountains. At the very top, there's a small outpost. In the outpost is a small can that has a notepad where everyone who reaches the summit signs and leaves whatever comment they like.
As I relaxed at the summit, I lost my apples. They had been in my stomach, and then I threw them up. They obviously hadn't been digested at all. Up to that point, I hadn't been feeling very well. I think I was suffering from a small bout of altitude sickness. After ditching the dead weight, I had a drink of water and felt much better. If I remember correctly, Seth was doing interviews at the summit with his video recorder, and you can see me puking in the background. I always wanted a copy of that.
Some of the group wanted to take an alternate route home by sliding down the glacier on the north side of Timp. I just wanted to get home. I felt much better on the way down. I paired up with someone who knew the way better than myself, and we pretty much ran the whole way down. The sun was getting higher and we wanted to make it back as quickly as possible.
Side note: the other time I hiked Timp was with Jonathan ??? from our ward, and we saw a moose on our way down.
Seth was a lot of fun to hang out with. In your life, you will meet people who you wish that somehow you could magically have known all your life. Even as they invite you into their circle, you just know that your lives will take separate paths. Knowing Seth was like this for me. It was fun while it lasted.
Somewhere out there, Seth Blatter is having a great time with genuine friends. I wish him the best.
Other memories from Provo:
- jumping into the lake with Seth and friends
- ward Commando
- ward "Steal the Present"
- ward Assassination
I had always wanted to hike Mt. Timpanogos (or Mt. Timp, as known by the locals). It's about a 16 mile hike round trip, so I assumed (correctly) that it would be about as strenuous as hiking Half Dome, which I had done enough times for it to be comfortable. Seth and the gang had done the hike many times, and they notified me of the plans to start hiking in the early morning (like 3am).
The only real time you can hike Mt. Timp is during the summer. During the other seasons, there's too much snow. I guess you could try in the Fall, before the first snow, but it would be extra chilly at the summit, and I'd stick to summer.
The problem with hiking in the summer is that Utah heats up pretty quick once the sun comes out. The best game plan for tackling Timp is to leave early (early) in the morning, pause for a few minutes at the peak to watch the sun rise, and haul your way back down the mountain before you get heat stroke. By hiking at night, you reduce the need to pack an extreme amount of water.
When the dead of night came, I was ready, and showed up at the rendezvous point with a few apples for snacks and some water to wash it down. I was told that there were two different paths to the top, and that we were taking the trail head above Pleasant Grove. We got hiking in the dark, and made out a few trial markers on our way up. There's a small cabin next to a small lake in a small valley just before you start up the real incline. There is a "saddle" along a ridge as you approach the final push. We were a little behind schedule, and hit the saddle just as the sun was coming over the East mountains. At the very top, there's a small outpost. In the outpost is a small can that has a notepad where everyone who reaches the summit signs and leaves whatever comment they like.
As I relaxed at the summit, I lost my apples. They had been in my stomach, and then I threw them up. They obviously hadn't been digested at all. Up to that point, I hadn't been feeling very well. I think I was suffering from a small bout of altitude sickness. After ditching the dead weight, I had a drink of water and felt much better. If I remember correctly, Seth was doing interviews at the summit with his video recorder, and you can see me puking in the background. I always wanted a copy of that.
Some of the group wanted to take an alternate route home by sliding down the glacier on the north side of Timp. I just wanted to get home. I felt much better on the way down. I paired up with someone who knew the way better than myself, and we pretty much ran the whole way down. The sun was getting higher and we wanted to make it back as quickly as possible.
Side note: the other time I hiked Timp was with Jonathan ??? from our ward, and we saw a moose on our way down.
Seth was a lot of fun to hang out with. In your life, you will meet people who you wish that somehow you could magically have known all your life. Even as they invite you into their circle, you just know that your lives will take separate paths. Knowing Seth was like this for me. It was fun while it lasted.
Somewhere out there, Seth Blatter is having a great time with genuine friends. I wish him the best.
Other memories from Provo:
- jumping into the lake with Seth and friends
- ward Commando
- ward "Steal the Present"
- ward Assassination
Labels: Provo, Timpanogos
posted by ronny at 20:23
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