Hiking Ensign Peak.

"When you hike this peak tonight, I hope you will remember as you look out over this verdant valley and see the trees, see the communities stretching from here to the point of the mountain, that was not what Brigham Young saw, or the other men with him. They saw almost a barren land. . . . I'm so impressed with the vision that these men had. These great leaders were not stopped by any force from doing that which they knew the Lord wanted them to do."
~Robert L. Backman

Tonight, I hiked Ensign Peak with a large group of single adults from the Singles Ward that I have started visiting.

Lately, I've been having strong impressions that I should go to the Singles Ward, so yesterday was my first Sunday, and then I joined them for their hiking activity to Ensign Peak. Me, hiking. It's actually pretty amazing how many people are in this ward. I'm excited to get to know more people.

Ensign Peak is the summit of the hill just to the north of downtown Salt Lake. It's about a mile and a half north of the Salt Lake Temple. From the peak, you can see that the city was built directly south of that point, and you can see a beautiful 360º view of the city. Really, some spectacular views, don't you think?

The hike was really only about 15 or 20 minutes, but it was pretty steep. I was happy to have my camera to give me an excuse to stop and catch my breath. It was beautiful, the clouds were stunning, and the breeze was very welcome.

It is from this peak, that Brigham Young spoke the famous phrase, "This is the right place," identifying the valley as the place he had seen in a vision as the land on which the Mormon pioneers would build their settlement.

What a beautiful place. I'm happy to be living here, a place with such rich history... and spectacular views!
.
.
.
.