Desert Fun

Since I was in college almost every spring I've headed south to the desert. When Jer and I were young and kidless they were backpacking trips. Over the years as we've added kids and craziness they've become car camping trips with day hiking. This year we postponed our trip just a bit and headed out over the Memorial Day Weekend with our friends the Snyders to Escalante. We used to hike and backpack with Kristy and Spencer back in the day and this is our third annual trip with the kiddos together. It is so fun, and I really look forward to it each year. Yes, we took four small children camping...in a tent...in the sand!

The first day was so stinkin' windy.  Very annoying!  The kids didn't seem to mind much.  We drove the mini van on a very bumpy road out to Devil's Garden, and the kids had a blast climbing around.  Jer and I last drove that road about 10 years ago in the dark en route to a little backpacking adventure sans tent (not planned).  It was our first trip in our little white Subaru, and we just threw out our sleeping bags and slept on the ground before heading out the next morning.  My how things have changed.  This trip we took just about everything but the kitchen sink!

Miss Leah liked the backpack for the most part.  Something she does not like is riding in the car and she lets you know.  Have I mentioned it's a long drive to Escalante?  I can't say I blame her though.  She still has to ride rear facing like an infant.

Later this first day we were going to hike Upper Calf Creek Falls, but the wind was blowing so hard it was impossible.  It could have picked small children up in the air and tossed them around.

We did spend the afternoon hiking and playing along the Escalante river though.  The wind was much calmer, and the kids loved it.

Our second day in we hiked to Lower Calf Creek Falls.  I can't believe with all the obscure places I've been in Southern Utah I've never been here.  It was absolutely beautiful!  The hike is 3 miles each way, so it was a journey for seven kids but we made it.  Ian got ousted from the backpack this year, so he's lucky he's so darn cute and I was willing to carry him quite a bit.  The poor kid was really struggling with the sand.  It was constantly filling his shoes up to the point they would get pushed off his feet.  He was getting irritated to say the least!

The hike in was hot but at the falls it was breezy and chilly.  I would love to go back and swim sometime.

Ian preferred to hang out in the boggy water with black mud.  At one point he fell in up to his neck and was then sporting around in just his undies for a while.  It was classy.

Seriously freezing water--I felt like it was paralyzing my legs.  It didn't phase Seth though!

Seth was a trooper on this trip.  As part of my efforts to win "mom of the year" I took Seth in for his kindergarten shots the day we left on the trip.  By Saturday he had a rock hard, hot, red area on his leg that was a good 5 inches across.  By the next day it was twice that size!  He started to cry the last 0.5 mile of the hike, and I basically told him to suck it up but I felt bad when we got back and I saw how huge it had become.  He's a tough cookie!  I called the doctor and they said it was probably the varicella shot.  He survived on Ibuprofen and Benadryl and had a great time anyway.

Leah was filthy the entire trip.  Bum scooting and camping are not the best combo, but she didn't seem to mind.  She was up to her neck in sand and rocks the whole time and seemed to enjoy it.  At one point at the falls I looked back to where our stuff was and poor Leah was all alone!

Not to worry though--all the kids loved her and were so cute with her, and she got lots of attention the entire trip.  Miss Stella and Luke were such good helpers with her.  Here's the only shot of all the kids back at our totally sweet campground in "downtown" Escalante.  Cute kids, fun trip!