Goblin Valley

It's been a minute since we've been out on the ground together, but we recently took a trip down south to hit up Goblin Valley. That place is pretty much the strangest, but coolest terrain I've ever seen! Definitely a must-see place here in Utah.

Jeff and Maren were able to leave on Friday morning and had a chance to check out the area and do some Geocaching throughout the day. Tim and I left after work and made it down just in time before they closed the gate for the night! It was kind of a surreal feeling getting there in the dark. We knew there had to be some awesome stuff to see around us, but we just couldn't see it! We had a good dinner that night and even enjoyed some leftover Boy Scout cobbler that one of our campsite neighbors brought by! Score!

The next morning we woke up to a beautiful sunrise and we could finally see a little bit of what was surrounding us! It was quite the sight for sure. We cooked a nice breakfast, cleaned up camp, and headed up the road to the Valley of Goblins.

We spent the rest of the morning exploring the Valley and enjoying the different rock formations. It is seriously one crazy place! Let's just say that if you're trying to lose someone who is following you, this is the place to go! We had a great time and got some great photos!

After we were finished in the Valley, we drove over to the visitor's center and checked out some maps of the surrounding canyons. It was still early in the day and we had time, so we decided to check out one of the canyons on our way out and eat lunch on the trail before heading home. It was a good time!

Paul's Temple Night

We were able to have a really special night out to go through the temple with my great friend Paul for the first time. Paul's always been an awesome guy from the first time I met him. He and Tim became fast friends through their ward at church and it wasn't long until Paul was backpacking through southern Utah with Jeff and I. Now a full-fledged member of theBRIGADE, Paul took his biggest step yet... going through the temple.

This is just my observation, and I hope it's not sharing anything too personal, but theBRIGADE crew took a trip to Grand Gulch last summer. After a couple of days, Jeff developed some lingering pain in his foot that just wasn't feeling any better. He asked for a Priesthood blessing and Tim and I were able to administer to him. This was prior to Paul receiving the Priesthood, so he just observed as the blessing took place. After we were finished, I felt very distinctly like something more than just helping Jeff had happened that night. The next day, Jeff's foot felt miraculously better. And looking back now, at least in my opinion, Paul was different from that day forward too.

Like I said in a previous post, 2011 was a huge year for theBRIGADE. Amber and I welcomed our second son, Tim got married to Tay, Jeff got married to Maren, and Paul received the Priesthood... and ended the year by going to the temple. And the best part was that we were all there to celebrate with him and honor the occasion.

We always talk a lot about being hardcore (which we are), snowboarding, backpacking, exploring, camping, surviving, and stuff. But truth be told, THIS is what theBRIGADE is really all about: bringing out the best in each other and progressing to be the best we can be. We've grown so close to each other and have created eternal bonds that can't be broken. Even though Paul isn't blood, he's still our brother. I'm so proud of him and so stoked that I could be a witness to the great man that he's become. Now let's go camping!