Timpanogos in all her Morning Glory

Just because my choice of the perfect getaway is Stewart Mountain Lodging in Sundance, Utah does not mean that my 16 year old daughter would agree…actually, she would probably rather disagree just for the sake of doing so…but I finally convinced her to join me on one of my trips out west!

As much as I had hoped and wished she would be touched by the magic of Sundance as I am, I knew I could not force it upon her…I would have to do my best to discreetly share with her all the beauty and energy of Sundance that moves me while at the same time restrain myself from repeatedly speaking aloud my thoughts: “isn’t this the most beautiful place?!”  “is this the most fun you’ve ever had?!”  “do you feel the indescribable energy running through you?!” “oh my gosh, I just love it here, don’t you?!”

The biggest attraction of our few days away was to be the skiing…as we know, unfortunately it’s been another dry winter in the mountains and my fear was that the lack of snow coverage would give my daughter an opportunity to find something wrong with my sancutary and point out that ski conditions here are not up to par, but much to my welcomed surprise, she did not! Throughout our few days of skiing, she commented on the beautiful scenery and the majestic mountains surrounding Sundance, most specifically Mt Timpanogos. (that’s my girl!) She made note of the lack of crowds, the friendly down to earth locals and lift operators alike and the awesome pulled pork “chos” (translation: nachos) at Bear Claw Cabin atop the mountain!  And of course no better way to end a day of skiing than with a dip in the hot tub back at our cabin. It is so truly enjoyable to relax in the warm bubbling water while recounting the day together and looking up through the bare branches of the surrounding aspens to magnificent Timp, in all her glory!!

Just a few highlights caught on camera! The summit of Bear Claw on a perfect Blue Bird day; My little girl in perfect form; Our tracks on our snowshoe adventure; Kris Dews doing what she loves and what we loved watching and consuming!

In addition to skiing, I had numerous bucket list items to check off, many of which we didn’t even get to this trip — there is so much to do and see in and around Sundance! We did however check off snowshoeing, an activity my daughter had never before tried. We ventured right outside our front door and followed a trail behind our cabin which, in a short and easy climb, lead us right to the Sundance Nordic Center. From there we snowshoed along the trails and surprisingly, I had to be the one to suggest we head back to our cabin. My daughter’s response: “Can we do this again? Can I get my own pair of snowshoes, this was so fun!”  (music to my ears!!!).
Aside from all the outdoor fun and adventure, we had Kris Dews, Stewart Mountain Lodging’s private chef, come over one night and prepare for us the “best sushi we’ve ever had”–those words straight from my daughter! That is quite an accolade given all the acclaimed sushi restaurants we frequent back home in New York City. It was a delight to watch Kris create her masterpieces, which were almost too beautiful to disturb, but we devoured them!
At one point in the trip planning stages, I figured ‘why hold back?!’…I also arranged for Stewart Mountain Lodging’s personal massage therapist to pay my daughter a visit in the comfort of our own cabin. What could be more relaxing than to lie in front of a crackling fire, listening to soft music while any aches or pains from the day’s skiing and snowshoeing are massaged away?!!
All in all, the trip was an absolute success!!  My daughter doesn’t hold back in admitting she was a bit skeptical at first. She couldn’t comprehend what could be so special about this hideaway up in the mountains that I can’t get enough of. To have her ski past me our last day and say “I’m loving it here” put a smile upon my face bigger than one can imagine. That comment was followed few days later by a text from her while at school which read “I miss Sundance!!”  And I never even had to resort to plan B: a recording to play each night next to her pillow after she fell asleep: “you WILL love Sundance, you WILL love Sundance”.  We are returning for another long weekend in February, and this time she’s bringing friends…a sure sign she thinks Sundance and staying with Stewart Mountain Lodging is the best ever!!  I could not agree more!!  One daughter down, two to go!!!

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