Sarah Ause Kichas | saussie.com » Wasatch

peakbagging pups

Sarah — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 01:04:39 +0000

Pim and I hiked Mount Olympus on Friday. I am still sore. It is by far the steepest mountain I have ever hiked… 4,200 feet of elevation gain in just over three miles. The hike up was pretty good though… it was the three miles back down that were much more brutal. My toes and knees were not so happy… but they survived and are now even stronger.

The dogs joined us (I was so sad that they were not with us when we hiked Grandeur a few weeks back) and did most excellently. It was Abbey’s first summit and she was a trooper. We only had to lift her in a few places. It was Jemma’s second peak, and Haley’s fifth… they are now seasoned pros. For every mile we hiked, they did an additional one… their stamina amazes me. Sometimes, I wish I were a dog.

a walk in the clouds

Sarah — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:27:12 +0000

I’ve been traveling the country the past couple weeks, and got back to Utah in the middle of the night last week. I went to sleep, woke up the next morning, and climbed a mountain. That’s how we do it. It’s good to be back.

First mountain of 2010: Grandeur Peak

fall

Sarah — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:15:19 +0000

While it’s still 90 degrees down in the desert, and the trees are maintaining their springtime hues, up here in the mountains, the temps are cooler and the fall color is at full throttle. Not surprisingly, this photographer could not be happier. Yesterday, the dogs and I hiked Daly Canyon, and today Ecker Hill (with old canine roommate, Chloe), and with such brilliant colors everywhere, I had to post. I love fall.

Tom and Brian fish the Provo

Sarah — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 02:03:37 +0000

Hanging out in Park City a couple weeks ago…

snow, a dog’s best friend

Sarah — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 04:57:20 +0000

Haley and I just returned from a long weekend in Park City, where it snowed a whole lot. This may or may not have been Haley’s first time in snow. Her home (if we can even call it that) in Ethiopia may have easily been at almost 10,000 feet above sea level, but the proximity to the equator keeps temperatures fairly mild and constant year round. That said, it is possible, though probably not likely, that Haley has ever really played in snow… and definitely not this much of it.

She loves it. Love, love, LOVES it. Can I stress that any more? I worried her little feet might get cold, but no, she couldn’t care less about the fact that it was cold. She was too busy running full-speed through it, digging her nose in it, tossing it up in the air, and being camouflaged by its brilliant white.

With snow, her potty-breaks were suddenly so much more fun, and when I let her run free in the fields behind my old house during a playdate with Chloe, she took off with such ferocity, I thought I may never see her again. We spent the rest of the weekend going on walks (in which I got cold and had to turn around before she had her fill), playing at the dog park, and even hiking up the snow-covered mountains. And she never got tired of it. The best part? It snowed just as much down here in southern Utah, and when we got home last night and she realized our backyard was covered in the fluffy white stuff too, I think she may have been the happiest dog the world has ever known.

Did you know I love my dog? Did my just posting over 10 photos of her in the snow maybe give you that impression? Maybe?

end of an era

Sarah — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 21:06:48 +0000

Earlier today, Chris and I broke up for what is likely to be the last time. For a year and a half, we have held onto our relationship, continuously on again, off again, and everything in between. I’ve lost count now of how many times we’ve done this, but it still hurts because it’s never been a matter of us not getting along, but rather a matter of distance. We live in different places, we’re doing different things, and no matter how hard we try to make it work, the distance always gets in the way, even when we’re sitting next to each other. With only four hours between us for the past year, it has been relatively easy to make the drive and spend a weekend together… but now that I am moving away yet again, the same cannot be said. True, if we really wanted to keep it going, we probably could, but the fact of the matter is that moving an extra five hours away isn’t really making it any harder to maintain, it’s simply making it easier to let go. And we have to let go, because as great as we are when we’re together, we just don’t work the same when we’re apart.

So now I sit here, numb and puffy-eyed, after saying goodbye to the only person I’ve ever loved, who has seen me at my absolute best, my absolute worst, and loved me regardless. He’s my best friend, the only person I am ever really myself around, and as much as he pisses me off, I love him ten times more. It is killing me to let go, to walk away, but I made the choice to move away again. I can’t stop crying, but I know in time it won’t hurt like this… and that life will go on, just like it always does.

Clayton Peak, Nov. 25, 2007

because kids in beaver dams = awesome

Sarah — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 03:07:00 +0000

on the rocks

Sarah — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 03:19:00 +0000

I really wanted to sleep all day yesterday (and I had planned to), but I wanted to go climbing even more. Gotta take advantage of the weather while you can (and then head south when you can’t). It’s October 1st and it’s already snowed twice.

the beach

Sarah — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 15:56:00 +0000

Despite the recent snow, it was warm and breezy at the beach the other day (or rather, the sandy shore of a reservoir). And during my 13 straight hours of work that day, I really needed that brief time at the beach. ‘Twas glorious.

(and that last one is a face, in case you were confused)

first snow

Sarah — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 14:10:00 +0000