~The Speth Family~: Mt. Ogden and Jack

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Mt. Ogden and Jack

I learned to ski at the top of Mt. Ogden. If you haven't been there, the top of Mt. Ogden is an arctic anomaly. The wind is constantly howling so that it feels like your frozen toes might pop off at any moment. The ride up is pretty freaky - if you're afraid of heights, which I am. First you have to take Wildcat up, which is by far the scariest ski lift I have ever been on. The wind blows and you don't have a safety bar and it is SO HIGH. I have had a plethora of nightmares about falling off of ski lifts and I am quite sure it is due to that one. AND THEN, once you survive Wildcat (which somehow happens every time) you have to ski down another side of the mountain to the Porcupine lift. Ooooh, porky. Not as high, but twice the cold with twice the wind and if its foggy, forget it.

That is what you have to live through to get to the top of Mount Ogden. Well, not any more really, because they have build newer, fancier (even warmer) lifts which take most of the pain and suffering out of the whole experience. There. that is my "uphill both ways" claim to a tragically hard experience. So what's so great about the top of Mount Ogden? The ride down. Its AMAZING, and beautiful, and full of all kinds of tree-filled adventure! And its FAST.

I used to be a slow, cautious skier, when it was just me, my sister and our cousin Mandi in the old Standard Examiner ski school. By far some of the FUNNEST days of my life. (Except the bus ride up and down that OLD, LONG, TWISTY road in a hot, muggy UTA bus full of overly tired kids and trying to keep my lunch down - I totally puked on the bus once - or twice?)

But it was FUN! And then we decided to bring my little brother along. We were done with the ski school by then so he got an hour long private lesson and then we dragged his young bum to the top. I don't really remember the details, but he very well may have beaten us down. He was a natural and I spent the rest of my teenage years trying - somewhat unsuccessfully- to keep up with my siblings. Out of sheer necessity I lost most of my inhabitions and learned to love SPEED. Whoever invented helmets is a saint. I didn't discover them until I was married - after all those years of headaches. At least now when I crash my brain is still in tact.

So the point of all of that is that on Monday I was reacquainted with an old friend - Mr. Frost. Jack used to meet me at the top of Mount Ogden every Saturday during those ski school years. To be perfectly honest, I have never really liked him. I think he knows it to. Monday morning we all went to watch Kylie give her Super Star presentation at school. I ALMOST DIED while walking between the van and the school. It was SO COLD. Then I had to take Ammon to speech. Again, I risked my life and those of my kids. I couldn't even function enough to say a proper hello to Mr. Frost. I must have upset him because when we came out of speech - me toting a 22 pound lead kid and his gazillion pound, awkwardly shaped oxygen tank, plus diaper bag and feeding pump - a fierce wind was blowing, Allie's legs stopped working and during my moment of despair, good old MR. JACK FROST blew a nice puff of ice cold air straight into my lungs. It completely took my breath away. I started choking and sputtering trying to get air in or out but to no avail, the pathway was completely frozen. I turned away from the wind and tried not to pass out. Then Ammon started choking too so we tried to walk backwards. I am so thankful for indoor heating and cars and shelter and new ski lifts (and muddy buddies, but that is beside the point).

Then we went to SEPs and tumbling and by then I was DONE with Mr. Frost and buried myself in the house. I stayed there all that night and most of the next day. At one-thirty pm I looked at the clock and it dawned on me - it was not Tuesday. Nope. It was WEDNESDAY. Doesn't Allie have school on Wednesdays during this time? No, no that's impossible - she's right upstairs! Hmmmm.

Fine. You win for today Mr. Frost. You have successfully scrambled my brain and you got Allie a free day home from school. Ha ha on me. At least you left us a nice present INSIDE of Kylie and Allie's room yesterday:

I scraped the window and got a fingernail full of ice. Should I consider that a threat?

2 comments:

Tyler & LauraFebruary 3, 2011 at 7:43 PM
Suzi...for real, I think you are so funny!!!! Oh my, I laugh out loud at some of the things you post!!
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wanderlustfamFebruary 4, 2011 at 6:44 AM
Porq!!!! That's the best!!!!!!! Those ski days are still some of my favorites too! Thanks for the trip down memory lane
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