Hiking in Great Basin National Park

We went up the mountain to hike around a bit. We had hoped to reach the glacier, but we didn't and you will see why... SNOW!!!!! Good thing I bought the kids waterproof hiking boots the day b/f the trip! The first snow of the season came just a few days b/f we got there, and the entire trail was snowy!

The kids were troopers.

Amazing views of the basin.

It got colder as we went up.

These ground squirrels are amazing. I've seen them on the cliff walls at the Grand Canyon, skittering across the ground on the edge of the desert and now living in the snow!

Here we are at the Bristlecone Pines. In most places they are ordinary trees, but on this mountain for some reason they live for thousands of years.

The glacier is up that ways just a bit, but the kids were getting cold, so we turned back around. Matthew has gone 3 miles before with no problem, so we thought we could get him to go a bit extra to see a glacier, but, alas, the weather was too chilly for Abby. :(

Snacktime! Abby was getting tired and fussy as well, so she took a while b/f she found a good spot for a snack. When she finally sat down, a squirrel tried to eat her food. She was not amused.

All the exercise kept Matthew warm.

Goodbye gorgeous view!

This is Teresa Lake. It has just recently frozen over. It looks like the lake receded a bunch during the summer, so we were able to walk out pretty close to the center before the mushy ice started.

Fall plants hanging onto the last bit of sunlight b/f they get covered in snow.

Matthew was nervous of falling through the ice in this shot, even though we weren't actually at the ice and still standing on rocks. :)

On the way back, we tried to take a detour to see more without Matthew knowing, but he has an uncanny sense of direction and set us back on the right path. Here we are playing Pooh Leaves again.

On the drive back down we got to see some fiery red trees. Beautiful! In the desert fall trees (what few there are) are usually yellow.