I've been home since ten today, it is now nine thirty seven. Ah, I had the greatest time though, my YSA ward went on a retreat to Bear Lake and may I say it was brilliant. I packed three sleeping bags and a mat I thought we were staying in a stinky old cabin on the side of the beach that looked like a turd. Instead, I was mistaken entirely, I stayed in a fully furnished cabin that was air conditioned. Oh my goodness this cabin was beautifully rustic. The deck of the cabin outlooked onto Bear Lake creating a picturesque place to stay. As for the rooms, very very lovely. The cabin looked like somewhere where famous people stay! The grass was a lush green and the door was a thick oak with a sturdily crafted metal handle. Anyways, the cabin was very very very cool. What makes it even better is that I stayed in that cabin with my friends. Ah, Bri and Jen can always make a day better! I don't know what I'd do without them...they are so good to me. First thing we did when we got to the cabin though was race through it admiring all the fancy things then we searched for the best room and claimed it for ourselves. We didn't waste a minute lugging our bags down the stairs into cozy room. Then we went onto admire the rest of the Cabin...then it was time to go to Bloomingdale Lake. Brianne&Jenette and I searched for a car to go down to the lake in. All the cars were jammed packed. So we settled on taking Bri's. Little did we know was that the roads were terrible and muddy and easily could high center the car, luckily that didn't happen. A few bumps and scratched claimed Bri's poor cute red Honda Civic and after being lost for nearly two hours our leaders (chaperones) found their way. After a small discussion with one of our leaders about the condition of the roads and the damage they were inflicting on the Civic we crammed into a truck and easily went down the road.
Once at the Lake, I admired its teal blue waters and dark black white streaked cliffs. I watched in awe as a person jumped straight off the cliff into the water sending up a small splash. Bri and Jen wasted no time in getting to the cliffs. I stumbled on right after them as they climbed up the rocks that lead to the cliffs. Memo to self never wear pink Crocs rock climbing. I watched as they both dove into the blue waters no hesitation. After some coaxing I entered the cold water and sat admiring how pale the water made my legs. Then Kyle, a boy in my YSA group, suggested they should go and touch the snow on the other end of the cliffs. A migraine had set in on my brain and I was barely moving as they decided to walk the tiny trail there. My friends that went on the adventure included: Breanna, Brianne, Becca, and Kyle. Twenty minutes later, Jennette and I heard shouting from the other end of the lake where our chaperones resided. Earlier they were hooting as the members of the YSA swung off the rope swing into the water. Their tones had changed consideribly and Jennete was starting to look concerned. She asked me what was going on and I just shook my head until I heard one of the leaders yell "get down from there!" Jenette and I exchanged a look and I swam out to face the cliffs.
"Do you see anything?" She asked.
"No," I said looking up trying to keep myself afloat while looking up toward the scene. I could hear them, their voices were echoing off the cliffs and bouncing back to my ears, I could hear them...yet I could not see them. Their laughing was lighthearted yet you could catch that edge in their voice that said something was awry. In fact something was arwy, they were nearly three hundred feet up a six hundred foot mountain in swimsuits without shoes on. So i did a bit of research about Saint Charles Mountain which overlooks Bloomington Lake.
- The rock on Saint Charles Mountain is very rough and sharp.
- Standard routes are usually no harder than class 2 but more difficult routes can also be found. Some of the most interesting peaks remain unnamed and are seldom climbed.
- Classes 2 and 3 are steeper scrambling with increased exposure and a greater chance of severe injury, but falls are not always fatal.
- This route traverses the three summits of Saint Charles Mountain. The eastern summit is the highpoint, the central summit is where the impressive cliffs above Bloomington Lake are located, and the west summit is a pyramid shaped peak. The limestone cliffs above the Bloomington Lake are 600 feet high. There is an arch located on the side of one of the walls.
- Brianne, Kyle, Breanna, and Becca had no climbing gear and were wearing swimsuits and no shoes.
"Positive thoughts!" Kyle yelled.
Jenette and I talked to them briefly on account of they could hear us and Bri
My heart thudded in my chest and my migraine intensified. The leaders sent Jen back to get the groups stuff back as they reached the red part that goes down to the snow...they were about to swim back for their things when we told them we'd already got them. When they were finally safely down I embraced my friends and scolded them for being so gosh darn silly. I asked why they didn't just turn around and Bri told me. "Its easier scaling up a cliff rather than down because you can't see below." No arguing with that fact but I agree. As Bri seated herself on a rock she inspected her foot to show me a nasty cut she had received on the jagged rocks of the the mountain. Her feet were stained brown and green her cut covered with mud and dirt. She inspected her arms as well showing me the multiple little shallow cuts and prickles in her fingers.
"Somewhere up there I looked down and there was a flap of skin hanging off my toe and I was bleeding everywhere.." Bri trailed off, "Becca told me I was going to lose my toe and I thought I sure hope not.""That was soo cool! I'm so glad you're alive" I recall saying.
"No, I was stupid. Not cool. I started stressing out up there when Breanna started shaking. Since she is afraid of heights I was then thankful you guys didn't come." Brianne said to me and Jenette.We looked up to see Kyle and Becca and Breanna finally sliding down the wavy textured snowy ice. Breanna was shaking and Becca was soothing her feet while talking about groping to a tree because it was what was keeping her from falling. Unfailingly though Kyle was very calm and collected about the whole ordeal...other than the fact that he had just barely cut his toe on the ice of all things. And After we ate and got our survivers stitched up... we all lived happily ever after! The rest is...left for another time to tell. 
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