Temple Trip

Dacia decided she wanted to go hike to a waterfall a little while back. Never being one to turn down a hike i was more than happy to go along. First, however, Dacia wanted to swing by Temple Square to get a particular picture of the temple. So i went a picked up Topher and Grace (because they and Alysia wanted to go hiking too) and met Dacia (and later Alysia) at Temple Square.

The flowers were all VERY nice!

No, not nice like that, although i'm sure that, if they could, they (the flowers) would only have had the nicest things to say.

Now, you all know that i've never been one to prefer posting less pictures than more. And normally i would LOVE to post ALL of these photos of Ellie, but hey, i didn't want to make my own kids jealous. So i opted for a little collage instead. But it should still be very obvious that Ellie is SUPER cute! i just loved all her little expressions.

And here are some more flower pictures from Temple Square...




Little Grace-asaurus wore her self out, but she was super cute too!

I think this is the closest i got to the picture that Dacia was looking for with the temple framed behind the tree blossoms. Unfortunately, i think the recent rains and storms may have made most of the tree blossoms fall off - doh. But it was still pretty anyway.

Well, we took so long taking pictures at the temple that no one was up for hiking anymore afterwards. Well, that and apparently they were all going down to Capital Reef for the weekend - yes, without me! But i guess i had to work anyways... I was going to the Real soccer game later that night and still had some time to kill so i decided to go "hiking" by myself.

Yeah, it wasn't really a "hike". This is Hidden Falls in Big Cottonwood Canyon. The trailhead is located at the upper parking lot at the 'S' Curve in Big Cottonwood. And it's maybe a 100 yard walk, if that. The only "obstacle" is crossing the stream to get better views.

With it being partly cloudy it was the perfect light for longer waterfall shots. It actually is really pretty back there. You can actually walk all the way up to the base of the falls but your feet will get wet, so plan on that.

This is how i crossed the stream, on the fallen log. It doesn't look that bad, but once you're up there and carrying all of your camera gear, it's a little tricky! Go figure on the way back i realized i could walk across the smaller log below the bigger log just as easily - MORE easily. Maybe next time, but it's much more exciting to go across the BIG log!

Hooray for Snowshoes!

Ummm... In case you're wondering, no, i am not posting these in any particular order. See, here's the deal. I'd really like to post some of the pictures i took from my last trip to Moab, or Death Valley or any number of trips i've taken. But the problem is that i take WA-HA-HA-HAY too many pictures. i can't decide which ones to post. And by now, geesh, i probably can't remember where i was when i took a particular picture anyway. So i suppose the order i'm posting these in is by which ones are easiest to post.
So i finally broke down (half way through the winter) and bought a pair of nice snowshoes. Why, you ask? Duh, so i could go hiking in the winter! No, not so i could die in an avalanche. Anyway, i was very excited to try my new snowshoes out on my first winter hike. So you can imagine my disappointment when i got to the trail and saw this...

Yep, that's mud. Look, there's even a mud PUDDLE right there. And no, this is not the beginning of the trail. It's probably about half way (see, i already don't remember).

By the time i got near the top it looked like this. Yeah, that's a blizzard! Crazy! But go figure, i STILL didn't need the snowshoes. Oh, by the way, don't you love how sometimes my text for the picture is above and sometimes below the picture? Ummm, so now i don't know if i should caption the next picture right here, or below the picture...

Fine, i'll go below. That funny looking guy is me. Yeah, this time i didn't have my ultrapod, and besides, i was at the top, there was nowhere to put it (that means i had to do one of those goofy "hold the camera at arm's length" things - i hate those). And besides, from the picture, can you tell if anything is missing? Go on, look hard... No, the answer is not good lucks, that's too obvious. The answer is my coat. Yeah, i forgot my coat. i drove all the way up Millcreek Canyon, got all my stuff out, and realized i forgot my coat at home. i had my fleece liner, and of course the snowshoes, but no coat. Fortunately, when i started the hike, it wasn't very cold so i figured it wouldn't be a big deal. Obviously by the time i got to the top i didn't want to spend any longer up there in the blizzard than necessary.
Oh, and look, i forgot to tell you where i even went hiking. I thought i'd start easy be attempting the relatively easy (and avalanche free) 5 mile hike up to Grandeur Peak. There's supposed to be a great view, but i obviously wouldn't know anything about that (it was a blizzard, remember? Even i remember that.). Guess i'll have to go back. But it was still really fun to get out and go hiking in the winter.
Aw man, see, now i have to go back to the top or you won't know what this next pictures is of. So i think this was my next attempt to use my snowshoes. This is Big Cottonwood Canyon on the trail up to Lake Blanche - which i had never done. The idea was to hike to Lake Blanche and then potentially on up to Sundial Peak. Unfortunately, in spite of my best efforts to obtain a hiking partner (using craigslist of course) i ended up going alone (i did find someone, but he had to bail last minute). Alright, i'm going to stick to the top now (for my captions).
So on my way up the trail (which, of course, is hard packed snow so i don't need the snowshoes - AGAIN!) i met a guy coming down who said to watch out for the moose and her calf a ways up the trail. I was like, "Great, a momma moose and her baby, she's going to be all paranoid and stuff." So i get up to where i can see the moose (worrying every step that she's moved and on the trail ready to charge me) and decided i better go off trail to give her PLENTY of room (the trees they're in are, like, five feet from the trail). So i veer off the trail and immediately start wishing i was wearing the snowshoes. The trail was packed, everything else was NOT. I'm sinking up to my knees, my waist, past my waist in snow. Great, well i'm definitely not a sitting duck now if she decides to charge me. But it was still cool to see some wildlife.

Geesh, i just noticed that it's really hard to tell what animal (if any) that is behind all the trees. Sorry, i was being a little paranoid. While going way out and around the moose, go figure, two more guys come along, stick to the trail, get up close and get some undoubtedly MUCH better pictures and just keep going. Meanwhile i'm still stuck up to my neck in snow. Doh.
Anyway... This is one of the first views you get of the top of Sundial Peak. It may also be where i either put my snowshoes on, or took off my coat.

This is a much closer and better view of Sundial Peak. It's supposedly one of the most picturesque peaks of the Wasatch Front. Up ahead is a little lake. It's hard to tell because it's obviously frozen and covered in snow.

Once i got to where the lake was i saw a trail branching off to the right and figured it might be the route around the lake and then on up the mountain. Eventually i got to around this point and discovered it was just an alternate route back down. But i didn't want to go down yet.

See that little clump of trees i circled? That's where i hit the lake and then headed off to the right. Where the tracks started heading back this way is where i realized that trail was just going back down. Looking back up the mountain i could see at least one person had gone up in this general direction before me (backcountry skiers - you could see their tracks carving sweet lines down the surrounding mountains). So off i went, and no, i did not fall down that cliff-looking section. Then i hiked all the way up to where i am taking the picture from, those are my fresh tracks in that powder. Now THAT was what i got the snowshoes for! But man, it was exhausting work! I still sank a good 6-12 inches in the snow with every step. I know, probably too fat for my snowshoes - doh! Anyway, i got up to this point and realized a couple things. If i kept heading up the mountain i'd probably be late for my racquetball appointment with Bill later that evening, and the surrounding terrain was much steeper (which means increased avalanche danger) than i originally thought and i probably shouldn't head up by myself.

This is just a close-up so you can see my tracks and also the little clump of trees by the lake.

Coming down was WAY faster than going up, i figured out that you could kind of just take these big running steps directly down the hillside! SO FUN! Granted you have to make sure you get your strides just right or you wipe out. Uh, not that i would know that or anything though...
So right here i've just gotten back across the lake. i actually just walked across it. Those are my tracks going across what i can only imagine has to be the lake. That did make me a little nervous. Not knowing where the lake actually was, how deep it was, how thick the ice was. But i made it across. Woo hoo!

And here i met some other hikers (who did NOT have snowshoes and wished they did) and i took some pictures for them and they took some for me. I know, sorry, like you wanted to see that.


I even talked them into taking some pictures of me running real quick. But the picture doesn't do it justice.

Well, that was definitely a fun hike and i will most certainly be headed back up there. i'd love to still get to the top of Sundial and the lake location with Sundial in the back is sure to make some beautiful pictures.
Alright, you can wake up now, i'm done.

Christmas 09

As far as Christmas pictures go i know these aren't the stereotypical ones. No tree, or presents, or gift wrap. Just some pictures i took around Christmas before Jen and the kids left for Alaska.

This was probably Aaron's favorite present. He rode it around the hosue non-stop before they left.




Uh, no, that's not my smoke detector with the battery compartment obviously open and empty. Doh! At least Aaron is cute, right?

And here are some pictures of Ellie being all cute and drooly.

Mystery Canyon

While in St. George for my family's annual (pre-)Thanksgiving celebration my brother-in-law and i decided to get an adventurous hike in. Jared and i have typically done the Subway in Zion about every year. At least i've tried to do it every year, it's a fun hike. Anyway, this year i wanted to try something different. The Subway is fun and all, but on the adventure scale, while adventurous, it's not that it was getting old, but i wanted to try something new, something bigger, more exciting.
So here we are starting up Mystery Canyon. Since it was fall and there would be at least some swimming and quite a bit of waist deep wading once we rejoined the Narrows, we rented dry suits (they're in our backpacks - but i'm wearing my fancy shoes!).

Hey look, it's me! i don't look as cool as Jared with the rope draped over him like that. I put my rope in my backpack.

The hike starts at Weeping Rock and heads up as if heading for Observation Point. I've done THAT hike before, and it's a GRIND! A lot of elevation gain, but great views! Along the way, you come across what i believe to be Echo Canyon. A narrow slot canyon. The trail we took went off to the left up on the ledge by the tree you can see up there.

This is the view looking back into the canyon on the way up. The reddish high point you can see off to the right is Angel's Landing. The saddle down below is where we just hiked up from. Well actually, we hiked up from the canyon floor! Somewhere on the cliff face there to the left is Hidden Canyon - that's one hike i'd still like to do.

Here we are at the top looking down into Mystery Canyon. We gained all that elevation and now we had to lose it all again! We actually had to wander around a little bit looking for the trail down. I ended up trying to match the view with the picture in my guidebook, but it worked!

This is the trail down into the canyon - VERY steep. And yes, that's SNOW! Crazy! It was steep and slippery! i know i ended up sliding down instead walking down at least one time.

This was just a cool boulder i saw along the way. I like the spiderweb pattern. i thought Anya would like it too.

Here we are at the start of the REAL narrows. It was VERY impressive AND exciting from here on out.

Here's Jared setting up for one of our first bigger rappels. We had to bring two 50 meter ropes for this hike, which was a bit of a drag considering there were only two rappels that were even close to that long. Every other time we were having to uncoil and recoil one of the 50 meter ropes. Eventually the rappels got so close together that one of us would rappel down and while the other was rappelling down we'd start walking over to the next rappel with the end of the rope. What a blast! it was seriously SO fun!

This is looking back at what we just rappelled down. We came down from on top of the little rock jammed in up at the top.

Here's Jared demonstrating optimum rappelling form.

Here's me demonstrating optimum goofy rappelling form. It comes so easy...

Some more narrows. It's actually ALL narrows. This is just another picture of some more narrows. Some of the rappels were actually a little tricky because you'd rappel down to a landing of sorts and then continue rappelling but in a slightly different direction (but still down obviously).

After a bunch of rappels and narrows it opens up a little bit to an area that looks like it would be a big (well, not THAT big) lake. What must have been a landslide deposited a big pile of sand a rock in the canyon creating a dam. Fortunately, there was no water. I'm not sure if there usually is or not, we couldn't really tell.

That's my shadow down there to the left! It was so pretty here! The canyon wall was being lit up brilliantly - which unfortunately also meant we were running out of daylight - doh!


This is looking down the final stretch of Mystery Canyon. The blueish appearing wall off in the distance is where Mystery Canyon joins the Narrows.

Another rappel. There we SO many rappels, but i don't think it ever got old - it was just non-stop fun and excitement.

Here we are in our official Star Trek uniforms for the Enterprise section of the canyon. It's kind of tradition to wear the uniforms out of respect for the old crew of the Enterprise. Just kidding! Those are actually the dry suits with the coveralls over them (the coveralls keep you from tearing the dry suits). Don't we look spiffy?!

And yes, it was getting dark. Go figure. We donned the dry suits because this rappel deposited you directly in an ice cold pool that was too deep to stand up in. It was so fun! You actually had to use a handline to go out along the cliff a ways before you could rappel down. And then you just rappel down into the pool, unhook from the rope and swim to the edge. It's not actually all that big, but it was still cold - we were definitely glad we had rented the drysuits.

After that last rappel it was just too dark to get any more pictures. There was one more rappel after this one where we rappelled down Mystery Springs into the Narrows section of Zion Canyon. In the light it would have been a lot more fun and we probably would've had an audience. You can actually see Mystery Springs cascading into the narrows in my previous St. George post here. This was seriously the funnest hike! Definitely my new favorite - or at least a tie with the Grand Teton. What a blast. i can't wait to do it again. I'm going to start doing this one every year now instead of the Subway. Who's ready to go?