2011 NYE

New Years Eve 2011
By: Tyler

15 years ago was a very special day
Your mother said yes and committed her life away
We were married forever and our journey started
Then off to Dallas the pathway parted
A year later we moved back to Utah and built a house
Jackson was born and was NOT as quiet as a mouse
We were learning how to be parents and best friends too
Most days Dad did not know what to do
Then to Ohio for a job Rob was kind to give
The house was old and a different style of life we would live
The food was strange and the weather was bad
Josh was born and we both were glad
We bought another house and that lasted a short while
Then off to Colorado we went with a huge smile
We found a home and a Lexi too
Our family was complete, happy and true
Dad worked hard and started to succeed
Mom turned the house into a home and it rocked indeed
We are learning how to be friends and be nice and kind
Some days we do good and some days we are behind
So I wanted to give this bracelet to you
Every time you look at it be kinder be true
Because if you wear it
It will tell us you will try
To be kind to your family and never lie
Wear it proud so all will see
On that day kinder you’re going to be
I also want to invite you to join a special trip
A hotel, good food and a pool to take a dip
Mom and I thought that we would invite you this time
On our anniversary weekend with so much design
So pack a bag with a swimsuit, warm clothes and fancy ones to0
Swimming, dinner, fireworks WOW there is a lot to do
2011 our voices you will hear
2012 as a family we will bring on the New Year!

THE END
BOOO YAAAAAAA


This is a poem that I wrote for the kids to let them know about the New Years Eve party for this year that we are going to have. We have also had our fair share of fighting between the kids and simply put they are not treating each other kind. I picked up a bracelet for each one of them to wear as a reminder and promise to be kinder to everyone. We will see how it goes and hopefully we have a great NYE trip.
We were very blessed in 2011 and hope that we can some of the same experiences in 2012. Last Year on NYE we went downtown with my Parents and watched the fireworks in sub-zero temperatures. This year a hotel stay might make it a little better.

Mt Lincoln 14,286ft 3 Waltons strong

Living in Colorado and having an active lifestyle I have heard often stories of climbing one of the many 14,000 peaks in Colorado. I would listen intently as the story teller would talk about some to the challenges with the weather, elevation, respect of the mountain and so on. I would come away interested and eager to join those that have successfully made the assent to the top of a 14er.
Earlier this spring our Scout Pack leader Brent asked if I were game to take some of the Webelos on a Scout high adventure climb of Mt. Lincoln. I thought of Jackson joining me on my first climb and was very quick to reply with an eager "yes".
This summer we had a few practice hikes to try gear, make sure we were at the right fitness level. The last few months have been busy and the planned weekend came much quicker than expected. A few weekends ago we had our pack high adventure where Josh, Anne and Lexi were invited to join us for the trip. Josh on the hike was amazing and Brent was quick to say "he could join us and with some help would be able to make it to the top". I was excited at the thought of taking both of my boys on this journey and when I talked to them about it they were as well.
We had a quick dinner in Frisco on our drive to base camp. We were sleeping at 11,680ft and I could feel some of the elevation as we started to put our tent up. The night was cool, and getting comfortable was impossible so the night dragged on. Finally around 2am I was able to fall into a deeper sleep and the light of the morning came way too quickly.


We were up and at them and by 7:15 the group of over 20 started the climb. Josh was the youngest at 8 and was jumping off rocks and having a good time never taking a straight line on the trail. We passed 12,000ft and passed tree line pretty quickly.
We took breaks and kept taking on and off layers of clothes to keep ourselves at the right temperature. I ended up taking over 200oz of water and Gatorade and plenty of goodies to get us to the top. 13,000ft was next milestone and we had a pretty steep climb to get to that point. The group had been split up with a few fathers and one scout turning around and headed back to base camp due to sickness. All three of us were having some high moments and some low moments but we kept climbing. We were over 2 miles into the climb and over two hours climbing to make it to 13,500 feet. We were able to look up at the summit and see the first group make it to the top. The trail became very steep and we had about 600 feet of climbing. Jackson and Josh took one last break and then started to climb blazing their own way to the top because it was all rock and no real path.

Steps were hard to take and breathing was very difficult and so I spent most of my time cheering on the boys to keep moving. I was tired and at times was being encouraged by both Jackson and Josh. The wind had been blowing for the last hour and as we passed over 14,000ft it relaxed a bit. The first group was cheering the boys as we made the last push to the top. What a feeling I had as we were able to stop and look around.
The view from the top was amazing. I have heard people try to explain what it looks like and what it feels like and until you experience it yourself it does not do it justice. We cheered others as they made it to the top. I was able to take some pictures of Jackson and Josh at the top. I have a picture that caught the joy in Jackson face and I love it.

Standing on top of the world you are able to see beyond a normal "see" it's like a "super see" and helps you realize how your view over time can be shortened. I see why others get a climbing high. I can see also why climbing is not for everyone.
We will do this again as team Walton, and hopefully next time we can add the girls.

Love you Anne,

Tyler

Hello heat, glad to meet you

Getting ramped up for the Harvest moon 70.3 Triathlon my rides and runs have been getting longer. Anne is also getting ready for the Copper Triangle a huge mountain ride on August 6th and she takes the lead on training right now. She is riding with Nancy, Margaret and others that are getting ready like Julie and Beth. The core group of girls that are working together are Nancy and Margaret and the three of them have done so well getting ready for this years event. I think that they will have a great event and I am excited to see Anne's mileage increase on the bike.
Jackson was going to a be at a sleepover and I was going to pick him up after my early ride in the morning until Anne came downstairs and said "we have a problem". She was looking at the invite and realized that the party was going to be done at 9 and so I was not going to get the 4 hour ride that I had on my schedule. I waffled a bit about a shorter ride, blowing it off because of an oversight. But no, I jumped up...really I did I was very proud of how I was able to spring into action and headed up the stairs taking them by two's like a real cool guy. I told Anne that I was going to go now and get it done so everyone can be happy with the weekend training and kids. She looked at me like I was crazy but it only lasted for a minute until I was headed up to the bedroom to change again taking the stairs two by two. I smiled as I hit the top and thought to myself that I was a good start to my warm up and it was going to be the coolest part of the day. I stepped outside after getting everything ready and realized what 95 degrees in Colorado feels like at 12 noon.
My goal for the ride was to finish and do so in a very controlled effort during the entire ride. I live about 8 miles from the start of the Harvest Moon and so I decided that today was a good time to ride the course for the first time. Anne came outside with me to pump up my tires and asked 3 times if I was OK and made sure that my phone was on. She said she would keep her phone close and would come and get me if I needed. You see I have had heat issues in the past and they did not turn out well.
The first hour was great, I was eating, drinking and doing what I felt would allow for a good ride. I had to add extra miles on the bike portion of the race route to get my 4 hours done and so I went past the 3rd turn that was the one that took us back to transition. This bike course has about 3 main roads that you ride so you can work the rollers and hills and flat and false down hills ect. I stayed about 5-8 BPM higher than I wanted to and kept dropping my effort to keep me in a good way. I hit a gas station and filled up with another 60oz of water and Gatorade and headed back to the race course. The last 2 hours were crazy hot. I have never felt the heat this bad on a ride and so I worked hard to keep my HR down because I was dropping sweat a lot more that I normally do. The last turn was back on a road that I was familiar with and was also the sign that I was about 45 minutes from home. The bad part of that was I was out of liquid and was heating up and putting myself in the tank. I slowed down and took the next 5 miles very easy and turned into the 7/11 just as I was about done. I slowly got off my bike, walked to the bathroom and put cool water all over my face and back. I grabbed more ice water and took a second to get somewhat composed before I took on the last 25 minutes home. I had burned up in several ways and took the rest of the time to think about how to be better next time.
Home never looked so good and I was able to catch Anne as she was taking Jackson to the party and the kids to the mall for items they have been saving up for. I cooled down and it took me about 45 minutes before I was able to come back from crazy land. I jumped on the scale and over the 4 hour ride I took on 140oz of liquid and still lost over 5 pounds. I will work on trying to figure out how to allow my body to take on more liquid, calories and stuff to keep me rolling in the heat. This was a good experience to realize that I have to keep hydrated to keep going. I have to keep my effort low enough to allow my body to accept the H2o and calories because today I went past that point and it hurt way to much. I am glad for the training and lessons that I learn and will keep it up. Hopefully we don't see 95 degrees on the bike/run course on race day, but if we do I know what I need to do to make it a success.
Good luck with your ride tomorrow Anne.
Stay hydrated.

Love you,

T