10th Annual Tree Trip

I can not believe that this was our 10th trip to the Bear Lake cabin to get our Christmas Tree. I'm so glad we started this tradition -the friends we have made are so very dear. It's always a little bitter-sweet because this beloved family has gone through changes since we first met them and it's sad. Even so, it's one of the most beloved parts of our Christmas. The first time we went, I was pregnant with Emma, who will be 10 in a few months! We skipped the year she was an infant because...I'm a wimp. But we haven't missed since!

So last year we had this seriously miraculous event, in which we arrived at the cabin before the other family, and we could not make the power work. It seemed like our trip might be doomed. But as Troy kept the fire alive all that first night, he thought about the generators, and realized that he had brought with him the exact tool he needed to get them working. He had brought it because our land cruiser suddenly wouldn't start as we were trying to leave, and that wrench was what we needed to make it start in case that happened again. It was an amazing miracle. And that miracle...did not happen again this year. The poor wonderful cabin had a totally kaput generator system. We arrived first, just like last year, and like last year, we could not get the power up and running. Troy tried every trick he knew and it just would not work. So once again we bundled up and stoked the fire and waited to see what would happen. I once again thought that our trip would be doomed, but no, I'm still just a wimp. Everyone still had a great time. The fire kept that snug little cabin warm. We were able to get the stove working well enough for us to cook on, and we entertained ourselves the old-fashioned way - with games and stories and no t.v. at all. We made it, and had a great time along the way. Ok, one evening we did flee to near-by cabin belonging to friends of Mary's. They had power and hot water and a movie and lights and all this stuff that felt just luxurious to us. We spent Saturday night with them, even bringing our dirty dishes to wash since that was the most challenging part of being power free. We were super grateful.

I think we might say this every year, that this year we really found our favorite tree ever. But really truly, this year we did find the absolutely best tree ever. We loved it so much! It was funny how we found it - some years we have to do quite a bit of hiking and searching to find a tree. Most of the trees in the canyon we search are quite crammed together and it's hard to find one without many bald spots or uneven limbs and things. So this year, we drove up to the clearing where we normally stop. Some years we go a little farther but this happened to be a very snowy year. (The drive up to Bear Lake on a dark and snowy Friday night was slightly harrowing.) We did not go farther than we had to, four wheel drive not withstanding. Anyway, we hopped out of the car and began to look around and I swear that within 10 minutes I saw our tree.

It was a lone conifer, standing tall and straight and sticking right out of the top of a large willow bush. I mean the good part of the tree began at about 8 feet, just where the willow left off. And up past that it was pure perfection. I think it was a slightly different species than we usually cut, but I have no idea what kind it was. A little more full than other years. And narrower. And just gorgeous. I wish we could have kept it forever. Troy was a super good sport about climbing into the center of a thick willow and cutting down the tree, then dragging it and himself sideways out the side of the bush. Great adventure. We spent quite a while longer trying to help Mary track down a tree for herself and one for her mother, and we made it back to the cabin just in time for a snack before the sun went down.

I think we haven't had such a snowy year in a long time - the drive home just packed our dear tree so full of snow that we actually had to wait a day to decorate it. We had to bring it inside and surround it with towels for a full 24 hours for it to defrost and dry out. But since it was barely December 1st, we felt we had plenty of time. And it was totally worth it. I can only say it so many times but once more can't hurt: Best. Tree. Ever.

Here's a little photo-log of the trip:

A couple of other families met us up the canyon to cut trees with us - one of the families invited us over that evening to take shelter in their fully-functional cabin.