fourteen years

 Happy moveiversary to us!  We moved to SLC from Maine FOURTEEN years ago.  Holy frickin' moly.  It's so interesting (to me) to write these year-end posts - we count our year, at least for blog purposes, starting in October and ending in September - to see how our activities ebb and flow.  This blog was started so as to keep the folks back east up to date on our adventures (hi, Perry!).  And when we first moved out here we never stopped doing things.  Everything was new, we were fourteen years younger, and the trails weren't so crowded.  This year has seemed a little diminished to me.  Skiing was a challenge due to crowding and also the fact that it snowed over 900 inches (and my wish came true, apparently) and you just couldn't get up the dang canyon.  Then, in the spring, when hiking was supposed to start, I went and sprained my ankle and it has surprised me how long it has taken to recover from that (see above re: fourteen years older).  Still, we've tried to get out after it as best we can.  Here's a summary of what our year looked like:

October - Our week's vacation in Moab; crazy thunderstorms; wrapping up our terrific CSA season; hiking at Grandstaff Canyon, Hidden Valley, Moab Rim, Murphy's Hogback, Pritchett Canyon.

November - It gets cool enough to bake (chai-spiced breakfast cookies, adventure bread, cornbread-pumpkin muffins); hiking at Poison Spider Mesa; ski season begins at Alta, with the new Sunnyside 6-seater chairlift still being installed, and H getting on his telemark set-up on day 3; Thanksgiving in Moab with a hike to Tusher Tunnel, the Slickrock trail and watching World Cup soccer.

December - Ski season begins in earnest with a couple of big storms early in the month, a 71+ inch storm mid-month and reduced ski bus service; more home cooking (mapo tofu, soups, chocolate chip cookies, gingerbread cake, peanut butter dog biscuits); an entire long weekend in Moab spent watching World Cup soccer with our neighbors, but also a fun spontaneous party; and Christmas in Moab with hikes to Jeep Arch, Slickrock Practice loop and our new traditional bloody Mary recipe.

January - H skis the week between Christmas and New Year's, but with storms and traffic doesn't actualy get to ski that much (the snow is fabulous, though); a quick visit from my cousin Bess; interlodges at Alta with big storms (433" on the season at Alta by mid-month, which is nuts); MTBing and hiking at MOAB Brand Trails and Amasa Back; Devil's Castle opens at month end for the first time all season.

February - A gets heated socks which are a GAME CHANGER for skiing; the Sunnyside 6-pack chair finally opens and no one can figure out how to load it; snow snow snow (including one storm that dropped 20" at our house (unnecessary!); home cooking (chickpea flour bread, Hatch green chile stew, plum sauce, muffins, cookies); A goes to Maine for a week and it is -20 F; President's Day long weekend in Moab.

March - In like a lion with snow snow snow (multiple canyon closures and one 2.5 hour one-way ski bus ride up the canyon), amazing conditions and people still can't load the Sunnyside lift correctly, plus it officially becomes the snowiest season on record for Utah with one month to go; home cooking (chili, muffins, cookies, maple oat bars, lentil "sausage patties" and "egg" squares for breakfast sandwiches, Cajun spiced beans, lentil tamale pie); hiking in Moab (Middle Earth, Moab Rim).

April - End of an amazing ski season, with Alta continuing to get huge storms throughout the month (80" in a week), crazy avalanches in Little Cottonwood Canyon and 903 inches snowfall total at Alta for the 2022/2023 season; Moab hiking and it's just nice to see some sunshine.

May - Week's vacation in Moab with wildflowers, hiking (Pipe Dream, Falcon Flow, Jackson's/Amasa Back, Day Canyon), MTBing and cruising on town bikes, plus the Colorado River is super high with the snowmelt; Memorial Day weekend with H's folks, a Moab Jett tour and a great hike with the locals wherein A sprains her ankle quite badly with one mile to go; H commences bike commuting.

June - A's ankle is still a mess so short Moab hikes (it's still far too snowy to hike on the Wasatch Front anyway) and town cruiser bike rides; H puts lots of miles in on his road bike.

July - CSA season starts with terrific local produce (but too many beets and squashes, if I'm honest); A's ankle improving slowly; Moab hikes in Mill Creek Canyon with very high water, town cruiser bike rides and July 4th dinner at the Trailhead with neighbors; lots of road rides for H and Dimple Dell walks for A and M; Noho gets a new roof (shout-out to Big Horn Roofing) and M gets to go to work with H; wildflower hike at Alta but the flowers are way behind due to all the snow.

August - Northern Utah hikes at Alta, Snowbird and Millcreek Canyon; southern Utah hikes at Mill Creek Canyon and Mary Jane Canyon; frozen watermelon margaritas; doorstep zucchini and continuing excellent CSA boxes; lots of road rides for H and town cruiser rides for both of us; our 22nd anniversary; A's ankle better but still not great.

September - Southern Utah hikes, town cruiser bike rides, Dimple Dell walks for A and M, road rides for H; sunflower season along the Wasatch Front; A's ankle feels pretty good (but still not 100%); A finds a used road bike (stay tuned for that ...).

And another year begins!  Here's hoping for fewer canyon closures and ankle injuries (and more watermelon margaritas)!