Mirror Mirror on the wall

I really like nature and spending time outdoors; partly because I enjoy the beauty of God’s creations, and partly because it reminds me to be grateful for all my modern day conveniences. I always enjoy a good camping trip, but I also come back with a renewed appreciation for hot showers, a soft bed, no bugs, and a flushing toilet free from onlookers.

This weekend Carver and I decided to branch out from our usual campsites and headed up to Mirror Lake. I went camping there with some friends a few years ago and remember thinking it was a beautiful place. It seemed like the perfect time to check it out once again.

Sadly we aren't able to leave whenever we want since we are keen on keeping our jobs. This meant that we didn't reach Mirror Lake until around 9 p.m. Friday night. I married an Idaho boy which means that he feels it is fundamentally wrong to pay for camping.  This also means that we have fight and scavenge with all the other campers who strongly feel this way. We ended up on about 10 square feet in a small meadow surrounded by tons of  other weekend campers. Carver dubbed it the gypsy camp and it is where we spent our evening.

I am grateful that I married an outdoor manly man. It makes the camping experience much more enjoyable. After setting up camp Carver treated me to a dinner of steak with grilled onions and peppers cooked in his awesome new cast iron skillets. It was much better than the dessert I was in charge of. Both rounds of my Pintrest smores experiment ended up looking like torched waffles cones, which is basically what they were.

Carver warming up the pans for breakfast

 The rest of the evening was really peaceful and enjoyable, minus the sound of all our neighboring campers having their own peaceful and enjoyable time. That evening we climbed into the tent and were able to use our awesome new sleeping bags. I have spent the last few years firmly believing that being freezing cold while you sleep was just a part of camping. My friends usually make fun as me because even in July I am dressed for a trip to the arctic; yoga pants, sweats, at least two or three shirts, wool socks, maybe a beanie, a few blankets piled here and there, and then  if it seems really chilly I bust out my denim quilt. Even then I still spend most of the night shivering. With these new bags I was so warm and toasty that I had to remove layers! I didn't have to feel like the marshmallow man all large and puffy. I am so thankful for good sleeping bags.

Our new tent and SUPER warm sleeping bags

A scenic lookout on the way to Mirror Lake, behind me is our gypsy camp

The next morning we drove the last few miles to Mirror Lake and enjoyed the view for a while. On the way back we also stopped at Provo Falls which I didn't even know existed. 

Provo Falls

 It was nice to see the great outdoors and visit some new sights in Utah. I’m thankful for this area that I live in and for the ability to take off and enjoy them at this time in my life.