Thank goodness Deva, one of our hike leaders, put the chicken tortilla soup in the crock pot before we left for our almost eight-mile trek to Home Gulch. The weather was spectacular, with barely a breeze and temps in the high 30s, almost too warm to hike the eight-miles with 1,000+ elevation gain.

Katie gained a bit extra, with her dropping her camera when she fixed an equipment malfunction of her left snowshoe, requiring her to re-hike a mile to find it.  Luckily, she didn't lose or damage the camera the GIG had so generously donated to her. She found it where she bent down, which was easy to see due to the messed up snow where she got off trail to fix her snowshoe.  But she and two others then had to scramble fast to catch back up with the group.

Eighteen people went on the hike to Home Gulch, which is located behind Sun Canyon lodge, all boarded up for winter.

We climbed steadily until we reached a plateau with a broad view of the bowl lying between Sawtooth Mountain and Castle Reef in the Rocky Mountain Front.

On the way home, we saw scores of antelope and deer and a few cow elk on the game range.

We ended the day in Augusta with a nice meal at Deva's house. Besides the chicken tortilla soup with cheese an avocado accompaniments, we feasted on chips and dip, homemade Scottish shortbread cookies, caramels, Oreos and Kathy M's homemade whole wheat and grain bread.  She shared her recipe, which she makes with her Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough-hook attachment. Yum! Thanks for sharing, Kathy.

Enjoy the pictures. You can right click and download any that you like for personal use.
Kathy's pics
Katie's pics

Honey Whole Wheat Bread
 (2 loaves)

In a measuring cup, dissolve:
     2 pkgs active dry yeast (or 5 teaspoons if you buy yeast in bulk) in:
    1/2 cup warm water.
    Add a teaspoon of sugar and let it get foamy as you prepare your other ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid with the dough hook attachment), stir in:
     1/3 cup honey (or molasses)
     1/4 cup vegetable shortening (not oil)
     1 tablespoon salt
     1 3/4 cups warm water
     3 cups whole wheat flour
     1/3 cup 7 grain or 9 grain (from 2 J's-  I buy a bag of this in bulk, and to that bag, I buy about 1/2 - 3/4 cup flax seed and mix it together and store it in a Tupperware container)
     1/3 cup sunflower seeds (roasted, but not salted)  (I buy this at 2 J's in bulk as well).
     Yeast mixture

Mix all together until smooth. Add:
     Approximately 2-3 cups bread flour, and add a little more if necessary. Dough should not be too sticky. I use my dough hook and turn the Kitchen Aid on low speed and let it knead for about 8 minutes.

Place dough in greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled (approx. 1 hour). Punch dough down and divide in half. Form 2 loaves and place in greased baking pans (9x5x3) (I use Pampered Chef stoneware pans). Let rise 1 hour or until doubled.

Bake in preheated oven 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Remove from pans and place on wire rack to cool. These freeze nicely. Just wrap in foil. I usually make 2 batches of this recipe so I have 4 loaves on hand.
Enjoy!!