Yurt Trip

So it's been a while since I've posted, so expect a few back-timed posts over the next little bit. In the meantime, here's a little post on our most recent adventure!

We decided several months back that we wanted to go on a trip and stay in a yurt.  For those unfamiliar with the word (as I was shortly before we decided to go...), a yurt is a Mongolian style domed tent/cabin.  This yurt was furnished with cooking utensils/pans/dishes, a wood stove (and wood/axe) for heat, propane cook stove/lamps, and foam mattresses, but we'd need to bring everything else.  We were told that the snow would suffice for drinking/wash water.

We planned our 3-day trip either before we new about the new little one were are expecting, or shortly after we found out.  At that time, if we knew about the pregnancy, we didn't fully consider the implications of camping/hiking when pregnant, and with a toddler.  We booked our trip for the end of March, knowing full well that there would likely be snow, and that we may have to pull a sled in or use snow-shoes.  We also knew in advance that the short trail in was 1.4 miles, and the longer one an additional mile.  We would have to pack in our personal belongings (including bedding), food, propane, and toddler on our backs. In the days proceeding, we discovered that there wasn't much snow (not enough to pull a sled on, and possibly not enough to melt for drinking/washing). This meant we would also need to pack in water. Yikes!

We pulled into the parking lot at the base of the trail, and Kai was having a ball splashing in the run-off from the melting snow. He promptly fell into the ice-cold water, so we stripped him down think we'd need to change all his clothes. Luckily, he wasn't that wet, and it dried pretty quickly.

As inexperienced yurt-ers, and inexperienced campers-with-a-toddler, we definitely could have made some adjustments with how we packed, but we unfortunately did not discover this until we were about half-way up the mountain!  It took us about 3 hours from parking lot to yurt.  I started with a light pack (pillows, sleeping bags, small odds/ends) considering I was 31 weeks along, and the last thing we wanted was to have me go in to labor early in the middle of the woods!  Tyler took the one with Kai and other heavier items. We left about 1/3 of our stuff in the car, and planned to make a second trip for it. Tyler spent much of this time shuttling back and forth picking up items we had dumped on the side of the trails (making more than double the amount of hiking to get our stuff up), while I spent much of the time trying to entertain Kai, who unfortunately did NOT like riding in the backpack as much we had hoped.

However, once we arrived, Kai had fun exploring the cupboard.  He quickly discovered where the knives were stored.










Once those were moved the higher shelf, he moved on to the rest of the silverware and small bowl.










 We packed in a couple yogurts, so we could eat "Yellow Yoplait yogurt in our yurt".

Kai loved looking over the railing of the deck and playing with the tongs.












However, he did NOT love sleeping.  He cried inconsolably for much of both nights we were there.  We did manage to get him to take one nap the second day.  It was probably the most glorious part of our whole trip ;)

We drew/wrote about our experience in the log book so others could laugh at our misfortunes. Tyler drew the yurt and me, and I drew him and Kai, and all our stuff :)

We woke up our last day, April 1, to find SNOW.  Well played, Mother Nature, well played.  The only good thing about it was that it froze the snow patches left on the trail from before more solidly so that we didn't sink in as much. It did make them a bit slicker though. I only wiped our once, haha.

After moping for a short while about the cruel April Fool's joke we were experiencing, we packed up and headed back down.  We arrived at the base only 45 minutes after leaving the yurt--a much improved time from our hike up the mountain. Here we are with all our stuff, minus the food and water. We managed to get in all down in one trip. It helped that Kai was exhausted and more than happy to ride the whole way.

Kai loved being home, and we may make a hiker out of him yet! However, he'll need to grow into his Camelback first :)

The Whitings in 2013: Jordyn, Tyler, and our new little Kai

We don't know about anyone else, but for us this past year flew by. It was just about this time last year when we discovered we would become parents! The first part of the year seemed to start out really slow for both of us because Tyler was waiting to hear back from graduate programs while finishing his last semester of school at BYU, and Jordyn was battling her way through morning sickness and studying for the NCLEX, the national test to get her nursing license (which she took at the end of January and passed!).  We were also staying with a wonderful couple, Howard and Norma, in Provo while Jordyn acted as an aide for Norma. Around mid-March things started to take shape for our future whereabouts.

 



Tyler was accepted to Boise State University’s MPA (Masters of Public Administration) program, Jordyn's morning sickness eased up, and all was right in the world.  We were busy wrapping up the school year with graduation and packing up our things. After walking at graduation with Sharon, our sister-in-law, we went down for a summer stay in Toquerville. Tyler was recruited by Pioneer Freight Services (a logistics company in St. George) for a summer internship, and we stayed in Tyler's mom's house in Toquerville after she married her sweetheart just after graduation and left the place empty.  It all worked out great!  Jordyn got a chance to meet the wonderful neighborhood ladies, and Tyler got to work on the never-ending projects around the property.  The heat was almost unbearable for Jordyn because of her little personal heater, which made for a lot of ice-water refills, but she survived..

Halfway into the summer, Jordyn was interviewed by St. Luke's Hospital in Boise and landed the job despite being 7 months pregnant.  They wanted her to start a few weeks later, so we scrambled to secure housing and prepare for the move. Jordyn and her dad moved all of our stuff to Boise in mid-June, and Jordyn moved into the apartment the first week of July while Tyler stayed in Utah trying to honor the commitment he had made to work the full summer. Jordyn started having some contractions that same week, and the rest of the month was a little anxiety-filled as she tried to juggle working and baking the little bun just a little longer. Tyler moved to Boise mid-July since the baby could come any time.

Tyler drove to southern Utah on Aug. 9^th to welcome his brother home from his mission the following day. Just hours before the plane landed, Jordyn went into labor (alone in Boise). Her cousins Stephanie and Jason were lifesavers and took her to the hospital, then stayed there until her mom could arrive from Firth. Jordyn wanted Tyler to see his brother, so he hugged him as he got off the plane, then got back in the car and drove 8+ hours through the night to get to the hospital. He made it just in time! He walked in the door just after 4am, and little Kai was born Aug. 10^th at 4:54am. Suffice it to say, we now have a rule that no one will go anywhere if there is less than a month of pregnancy remaining!

Tyler is working as a graduate assistant on campus. Jordyn took 10 weeks off before returning to work full-time and will drop to part-time after Christmas. We are both exhausted much of the time, but we love our Little Man so much, and look forward to watching him grow and develop.

    

We hope that you and your families have a wonderful Christmas season and that the Lord has blessed you this year as He has blessed us. There is so much to be grateful for!

Merry Christmas!

Jordyn, Tyler, and Kai