This challenge was inspired by Ali Edwards.

Me : Again, I’m keeping it simple to focus on the words and photo.  This was a self-time photo taken in Hawaii.  Several people offered to take the photo for me, but I insisted on taking it myself.

Felicia : Love this color combination and clean white background.

Zarogina : What a sweet photo!

Trails : Silver Lake Trail to Bald Mountain, Park City, Utah (3rd hike this week)

Mileage/Hours : 2 miles / 2.5 hours

Rating : Strenuous

Elevation Gain : 1,300 ft (Starting elevation 8,100 ft)

The trails are lined with wildflowers and alder trees.

The hike up was extremely slow (2.5 hours).  We stopped frequently to catch our breaths and monitor our heart rates.

This stretch was brutal – did not look like it would ever end.

After 2.5 hours, we met up with Julie and Karen who were at the top waiting for us.  They left us in the dust!

While Karen and Julie started the trek down the the mountain, Kaye and I spent a few minutes enjoying the spectacular view of the surrounding area and the occasional cool breeze.

Instead of hiking to the bottom of Bald Mountain, Kaye and I caught the Sterling lift down.

We stopped at the Royal Cafe for mint lemonade and sweet treats.  We found a nice spot in the shade and enjoyed our cold mint lemonade while waiting for our friends to reach the bottom.

Total miles logged so far this week : 15 miles

Hello from Park City, Utah!  As I am resting here at the resort after a short hike, it dawned on me that I have not posted a new challenge.  I meant to post it on Sunday before my departure for Utah, but I guess I had other things on my mind.  And once I arrived in Park City, I was in vacation/relaxation mode so I did not even think about the challenge.  Sorry.

Inspired by Ali’s current project “I Love You Today Because”, I challenge you to create a layout or mini-book about the person(s) you love.   Ali is offering a free download of her I love you journal strips here.

Send your layouts to tginguyen at gmail dot com by Saturday, July 24.

Have fun!  (By the way, I love you today because you are reading my blog and are participating in these challenges.)

Trails : Holly’s Trail to Tombstone Trail to Fantasy Ridge Trail.  The trailhead is at the Canyon’s Resort in Park City, Utah. (And yes, I’m really in Park City!)

Mileage/Hours : 9 miles/6.5 hours

Rating : Moderate/Strenuous

Elevation Gain : 2,350 ft

The hike began with a gradual climb through a series of switchbacks.  I felt the gain in altitude with every step so the climb up was quite slow.  I hiked this trail last year and remember running up certain stretches — that did not happen this year.  Took frequent breaks to slow down my heart rate and take deep breaths.  Since my mind and body were preoccupied with breathing, taking careful steps and monitoring my heart rate, I took very few photos during the first 4 miles of this hike.

At lower elevations, there were an abundance of alder trees throughout the forest.

Our adventures would not be much fun if we always stayed on the “well-marked trails.”  We ventured onto the service road and after a tenth of a mile trekking downhill, we decided that we took the wrong trail and had to backtrack uphill.  Going up was a real pain.

Our goal : to get to ninety-nine ninety feet (starting from seven thousand feet) — the highest peak at the canyons resort.

A more realistic goal : hike to Fantasy Ridge at ninety-three fifty feet.  The trail map described the last part of the Fantasy Ridge trail to ninety-nine ninety as “a knife edge ridge requiring some technical climbing over talus rock.”  Ummm … I am all about being safe so that bit of information basically decided my goal for me.

Can you see why we didn’t go to ninety-nine ninty?  That’s Julie in the photo — she made it a hundred yards past me and quickly turned around.

While Julie trekked along the ridge to see the “knife edge,” I found a nice resting spot.

The climb down was much easier and faster than the hike up.

Funny story : As I knelt down to place my gorillapod on the ground and set up my camera for this self-portrait, I felt a liquid travel down my leg and onto my skirt.  I panicked for a moment and thought, “What the heck?  Am I peeing in my skirt and not know it?  Do I no longer have control of my urinary system and urine is flowing freely out of my body?  What the heck is going on?”  I stood up, puzzled at this mysterious liquid.  Then it hits me and I start laughing hysterically — the liquid is water and it is coming out of my other bladder (the Camelbak).  I must have squeezed the nozzle attached to the straps of my backpack as I bent down to set up the shot.  Ha!

After the hike down from Fantasy Ridge and Tombstone, I decided to ride the gondola down to the resort while my friends Karen and Julie hiked an additional four miles.

I was thrilled to return to our Presidential Suite for some much needed rest.

For your viewing pleasure, I am excited to share the layouts of our 7 Wonders scrapbook challenge.

Me : Simple layout that focuses on photos and words.

JOURNALING : 1) Nature.  The outdoors is a large playground that begs to be explored.  2) Learning and teaching others to learn.  3) Connections.  Relationships.  The world isn’t as big of a place as I once thought.  4) Jim.  He makes life wonderful.  Everyday.  5) Life.  The union between a sperm and an egg to create a little person boggles my mind.  6) My mom and her stories of life, survival and love.  7) My future.

Laura : Love the list of her 7 wonders in labels.  Laura, I thought about doing the same thing but in the end, I printed photos for my layout.

Zarogina : I am jealous that Zarogina has been to all of these gorgeous places.  Great color combination here, Z!

Nathalie : Check out this adorable mini-book from Nathalie!  Love the bight colors, white lines that frame the photos, and the simple layout of each page.  Love the focus on words and photos here too!

Felicia : Love what Felicia did with the pattern paper on the right.  I have the same paper and have not figured out what to do with it.  Thanks for the idea, Felicia.

Thanks for sharing your work, ladies!  I love everyone’s interpretation of the challenge and as always, I am excited to see what y’all come up with next.

Start/End : Stinson Beach

Trails : Dipsea Trail to Steep Ravine Trail to Matt Davis Trail

Mileage : 6 miles

Rating : Moderate/Strenuous (It’s really only strenuous when you hike off the trail.)

The next time you’re out on an adventure, remember some of these gentle reminders …

When you’re out hiking, remember to look back.  The views are spectacular going forward but once in a while, stop and look back to soak up the beauty that surrounds you.

When you’re out hiking, remember to snap a photo with your hiking partners.  I love the Gorillapod for self portraits and group shots.

When you’re out hiking, adventures occur at every turn.  I have been on many trails but very few compare to this one — the ladder in the middle of the woods is so freakin’ cool!

When you’re out hiking, remember to look up.  Looking down is important in preventing a misstep or a potential fall, but looking up is helpful in preventing head-on collisions with tree branches and trunks.  Let’s just say that a few of us experienced more head-on collisions than we anticipated.  But hey, it’s all part of the adventure.

When you’re out hiking, be prepared for weather changes.  We experienced chilly canopies to full sun exposure to foggy, damp conditions.

When you’re out hiking, embrace nature’s beauty.  Check out this gnarly tree!

When you’re out hiking, remember to stay on the trail — the real trail, not deer trails or trails made by others who want a shortcut.  This could turn a moderate hike into one that is quite strenuous.  Oh, when you’re going downhill, remember that sliding on your behind is sometimes an option.

When you’re out hiking, remember to bring people who enjoy hiking, make you laugh, support you when you’re having difficulties on the trail and know how to deal with wild animals, like mountain lions and snakes.  We did not encounter any wild beasts, but we really worked as a team to get down the mountain.  We landed on our bottoms a few times and took some beatings from rocks and trees, but together, we all made it safely down the steep climb.  These ladies made for one heck of a wild and fun hike.  Thank you for an unforgettable hiking experience.

Lately, I have been busy.  Busy resting on the couch.  Ha!

Lately, I have been helping a friend deal with a tough situation.

Lately, I have been ignoring my blog.  (Feeling really bad for those of you who visit me here.)

Lately, I have been feeling too tired to create anything new.  The 7 Wonders Challenge is due on the 10th so I better get crackin’.

Today, I woke up determined to get my behind up from the couch and do something.  Anything.

Today, I ran 3 miles.  Weeded.  Bought a lemon tree.  Cleaned the refrigerator.  Somewhat productive, eh?

I promise to be back later this week with some creative inspiration.

One of my projects is featured on Ali’s blog as part of her Stories of Summer series.  There’s a wealth of inspiration on her blog for summer projects.

Thank you Ali for the kind words and the chance to be featured on your blog.  I am honored.

Chatting with Ali about her Evolution book/class at CKU Provo, 2007.

I have so many projects to work on.   Before Hawai’i, I was on a roll — scrapping, sewing, organizing, etc.  Since my return, I have been super tired and lazy — unmotivated to do much of anything except lift the remote to change the channel.

To get out of this rut, I made myself work on a project this afternoon.  Several friends are going to be mothers by the end of the summer so I made these fun, cheerful burp cloths for my mommy friends.

I really enjoy using my sewing machine.  These burpies were easy to make once I figured out how to sew the first one.  Tomorrow, I’m going to make a batch of burp cloths for mommies who are going to have girls.

I’m featured on the Ella blog as one of Liz’s Loves!  Hop on over and check it out.  By the way, I adore Nathalie’s manly mini-book.

On a side note, we just returned from Hawai’i.  Took the red eye last night and landed in San Francisco at 5 am.  Today, I’m all about sleeping and relaxing and watching tv.  No cooking, no cleaning, no unpacking — just pure relaxatation.  Besides, it is too hot here to be doing any real work.

I’ll leave you with this image of me snorkeling at Kaelakekua Bay.