Nat & Mandy

There was a time in my life when I was just back from Georgia and all my friends had either gotten married or were on missions or had just plain old moved on in their lives.  I couldn't live with Griff, Mal and Squires anymore and found myself moving into an apartment in Provo with a bunch of 19 year olds.  I was not looking forward to it, but I figured I could just do my own thing.  There was no rule I had to spend time with the people I lived with.

I remember knocking on the door and Nat opened it.  They were all there, Nat, Mandy and Chiara.  They were probably laughing and talking because that's what they did.  Nat immediately put on her shoes and came out to my car to help me carry stuff in.  It wasn't long until she asked me (as many people have) "Why Alaska?"  So I told her.  I gave her my reasons of wanting to live on the cusp of the wilderness and we were fast friends from there on out.

Well, Nat and Mandy came to visit us last week.  Nat is currently living in Austin working as an immigration attorney.  She is married to a funny man named Pablo who did not come with her because he was slaving away in the Texas heat.  Nat came a few days before Mandy and we did a little backpacking at Hatcher Pass on the Reed Lakes trail.  It was stunning.


























Apparently all my friends are marathoners.  Makes doing stuff with them intimidating, but Nat did a good job of letting us go at my pace.

























There was lots of clambering over boulders.


























Paul, feeling the burn.  



























Eye Candy.

This is a view from above the lake we camped at.  We thought we were at the Upper Reed Lake, but we were not. 


There were a ton of these little marmots all over the place.  Paul "Eagle Eye" Rigg was having a heyday spotting them all.



This is the Upper Reed Lake we found the next day when we kept going on the trail a little further.




Notice, shorts and t-shirts.  It was again so sunny and warm.  What a treat.



Then Mandy and her baby Nora joined us.  Mandy lives in Kenya with her husband Taylor and Nora.  They happened to be planning to be in the states this summer visiting family when we asked if she wanted to come up with Nat.  The timing worked out perfectly.  Apparently Taylor was not so interested in joining the "roommate reunion."

Nat wanted to catch a fish and take some home to Pablo.


We twisted Paul's arm and he finally consented to take her.  Mandy, Nora and I visited while they fished.  We also came with the camera when they called because there was a bear on the other side of the river.  It is so fun to see bears when they are not eating your fish.



Nat caught one!  It was a MONSTER rainbow trout.  First we thought it was a salmon it was so big. 



Then there was another bear on our side of the river.  Paul and Nat saw it pull a huge salmon out of the river.  This one just has a carcass.



Paul Wall strikes again.  What a beaut.



We went to Seward.  We went through the tunnel to Whittier.  We went on the ever-lovely hand tram.



Nora was quite the champ.  We completely threw off her sleeping schedule with all the sunlight and traveling around.  She ended up getting a fever and having a seizure and in the ER a couple hours before their departing flight took off.  All was well and she is fine now. 


























We talked and talked and talked.  It was lovely.  Paul gets super bonus points for being such a trooper through all the girl talk.  Thanks Paul!  And thanks Nat and Mandy!  And we really think you'd be happy if you moved here.