I was in Provo for work today, and while I was up there I bought a backpack and sleeping bag for hiking. The only other major purchases I need to make are a stove, lantern, and tent–and probably a case of MREs. Next week, I’m going to load up my new pack with some dead weight and go for a hike, probably up at Price Rec. I’ve been up the hiking trail there a couple of times, but I don’t think I ever followed it to the end. It looks like a pretty easy four-mile hike (on a map, anyway) from there to Ford Ridge and back, but I doubt I’ll have enough time to tackle that one.
When I got back into town this afternoon, the air was hazy and smoky to the point that the sunlight that filtered through it was orange. There’s a wildfire burning about 30 miles away, and though it’s been burning since August 7th, it’s finally gotten big enough (and the wind is blowing the right direction) that it’s affecting us. There’s even been ash falling most of the afternoon, which is kind of eerie. Reminds me of that scene in Dante’s Peak.
We’re going camping for the weekend with my sister and her family at Bear Creek Campground in Huntington Canyon. I’d never been there before Monday, when we went just to check it out, but it’s damned nice. The only thing that sucks is that I took a classified ad out in the paper, trying to sell the Mazda, but we won’t be here to answer the phone.