Hiking Season

This time of year in Utah is just lovely and I have been able to get out on several fantastic hikes.  Hiking has really become one of my favorite things.  Crystal and Kris and I found Bunnel’s Fork.  The beginning of the trail is particularly beautiful crossing over the river several times, then you get up to a gorgeous aspen grove, then it starts to get pretty steep with loose shale rock, so we turned around, but it was fun to find a new hike.  Kota jumped in the water at South Fork right at the end- that dog loves the water.  

Ever since last summer Crystal and Kris have been wanting to do a loop hike up Shingle Mill at Big Springs to the cascade saddle and back down the Big Springs trail.  It was 7 miles up, very steep, and with lots of shale hike. And it was hot!  I haven’t been that tired and pushed to the extreme in a long while.  I started to wonder if I could hike up any more, but then we made it to the top and going down was a lot easier and it is gorgeous at the top of that peak.  Glad we tackled it I think, but if I were to do it again I would probably just go up big springs and back down the same way that Shingle Mill trail was super steep almost to the point of unenjoyable. 

Sienna and I made it out for another hike at Big Springs- we did a lower elevation loop.  All the trees were starting to turn and it was beautiful. 

On the way down Sienna and I got stopped and were unable to get down the canyon road.  We discovered the reason was because a 15 year old boy had committed suicide in the park (the park that our 9^th grade girls were having a canyon’s field trip/bbq and this boy happened to be a classmate of theirs).  It was supposed to be a wonderful, fun filled day and it ended in tragedy.  Several of the boys in our neighborhood witnessed the event and it has been very hard for them.  Liv did not know Max Miller, the victim, well and didn’t see the shooting.  In fact, when she was loaded back on the buses to go back to school she hadn’t known for sure what had happened.  But, she got down the canyon and had Piper take her and Star to target to get poster board.  Unbeknownst to me, they made a sign that said hearts for Max and hung it up on the cement in front of the school.  That evening a bunch of students placed candles and pictures around it and drew hearts on the sign.  And the next day at school, kids drew more signs, or cut out hearts to tape around it, or made origami hearts to tape around it.  I honestly had no idea she had done this till the next day when I dropped her off at school and she pointed it out and told me.  It was such a sad, tragic event that I am sure will affect her class for a long while. 

Kris and Crystal and I did a fun little loop up Rock Canyon when the leaves were just perfect.  Kota loves hiking!

Crystal showed me and Kris the coolest hike we had never done before it was called Little Rock Canyon and we went to Little Rock Peak and the rock garden.  This hike is right in my backyard and I can't believe I didn't know about it.  The actual hike up Little Rock Canyon is quite steep and a little bit of a rock scamble up a creekbed.  This cute dog from the house at the start of the trail came on the entire hike with us.  His name was Duke, he got along so great with Kota and he was like our little trailguide- which was helpful as sometimes it was hard to find the trail.  Along the trail we found a geocache, a teepee, a swing, and a little link-n-log type cabin.  The view from Little Rock Peak was goregous.  And the Rock garden was the coolest rock maze that someone has build up there on the moutain it is really so neat.  

One day I didn't go for a hike, but Kota and I walked down Carterville road and that road is so isolated it almost feels like a hike in the city.  The leaves were gorgeous!

Kris and Crystal showed me the way they like to hike to Buffalo peak.  I loved it and want to go back.  We all color coordinated that day without even trying.

I really wanted to take my kids up to see the Rock garden so one Saturday when Derek was out of town, I got the boys and the Watkins to come hike it again with me.  They were less enthralled, but Amber and I enjoyed the adventure.

One Novemeber day, I got off work an hour earlier than expected and the weather was so nice for November- 65 degrees and sunny that I decided I better get a hike in with Kota before the kids got out of school.  I attempted to invite people to come with me, but no one could come.  So just Kota and I went up dry canyon and I listened to confernece talks the whole hike.  It was exactly what I needed.  We hiked to a little peak on the right side of the canyon that I have always wanted to conquer.  Well, we hiked until the trail kinda disappeared and I worried I might get lost. I might have to try to find a better trail to the top some future day.