We went on a small hike in the hills above our house.

I love this picture. I look good. No one else does.

PB doesn’t hate school anymore. C is almost potty trained. And H actually slept through the night last night. There is nothing to complain about in life really. Hey, I even lost 20 pounds without trying. (I actually didn’t think I needed to lose weight. It just kinda happened, I think mostly because I like to exercise and eat healthy.)

We hiked up Waterfall canyon in Ogden. I did this hike last year with my two boys by myself. It went much faster with Joe along, even with another little boy in the mix. It’s a really enjoyable hike, not too long but still a bit of a challenge.

The canyon is deceptive. One normal trail goes on a nice hike up to a couple of small waterfalls. But the canyon is also home to several other smaller trails that lead to eroded cliffs, dangerous creek crossings, and steep climbs. The first time we hike here, back before I had children, I was nearly crying because I was scared of falling down the steep hillside we were trying to hike across. We realized later we were on the wrong side of the creek.

Several years later we hike without incident. This time (as you can probably tell by my preamble), we didn’t start on the right trail and had to do a lot of scrambling to get back on the right one. Scrambling involved crossing bloating creeks, going up extremely steep, eroded hills, and bushwhacking through grass and sage brush. In some ways, it was a lot of fun. It had the benefit of being far shadier than the correct trail, and had almost as much thrill as a good roller coaster. The kids didn’t mind too much as well (minus the one creek crossing that scared Curtis to tears, but was actually easily crossed).

If you are ever hiking there, stay on the north side of the creek. And cross the creek right by the parking lot. Unless you want an adventure.

It’s easy to think of reasons to not do something: it’s cold, I’m tired, life is hectic, etc.

But sometimes it is a lot nicer to make excuses to go and do something.

We went on a little hike. It’s not necessarily great hiking weather, and there aren’t fall leaves to see, or spring flowers or even snow. I was very pregnant, the kids aren’t always easy to get out of the door. But we went anyway.

We walked slowly and didn’t go very far. But all of us were happier because we went.

I had been wanting to hike Waterfall Canyon in Ogden for a long time. Finally, I decided that on Saturday we would go. The weather was nice, and it should be early enough in the season that it wouldn’t be too crowded. But then Joe had to work a little bit, I had a baby shower to go to, and knowing that the kids would make it slow, we couldn’t find a good time to go. I decided just to go without Joe.

The boys and I embarked. I knew if we were going to make it we would have to take it slow. Although I was imagining slow walking, the boys were more interested in just getting distracted. Like playing in the sand.

After awhile Mr. C had no interest in moving forward: throwing rocks was far more interesting. I put him in the carrier. We soon broke off the larger path and headed up the canyon where it was more rocky. PB shot off, and I only saw him periodically until we got to the falls. Climbing over the rocks was very fun for him, and he ended up being a great hiker.

We made it to the falls, and it took us less time than I expected.

The start of the way back was the hardest: it was steep and rocky and both boys were slipping and freaking out. I had to carry Mr. C again, and then we did much better. It was a lot of fun, and I would do it again, although it is nice to have Joe around to carry the toddler. (We just like him too.) But I think me and PB could hike anything.

The goal was to drive up to Willard Peak. The leaves were varying shades of yellow and red, and it was quite a lovely drive. At least until we ran over something and started to hear the hiss of the front tire deflating. Joe and his brother quickly changed the tire, but we decided to head back. Toward the end of the mountain road, we took a short hike. I like hiking better anyway.

We went hiking up Adams Canyon in Layton. This has been our third hike for the whole year, which is a pathetically low number. But we have to haul our kids, and they weigh a lot. PB complains, and then Mommy complains, and it turns out Mr. C would rather explore than take a ride so he complains as well. After a while, we figured it out. Mr. C moved from Dad to Mom, which he liked much better. PB was encourage to not say, “I’m too tired,” or “I can’t do it”, but instead ask for a rest. PB actually did a great job in hiking most of the trail by himself.

The hike was beautiful, dead ending in a big waterfall.  There is a lot of scrambling over rocks, walking through sand, and pretty steep trails. More of a moderate level hike, but doable even with little kids. Leave early, because the first part of the trail is sunny and exposed in the later morning to afternoon.  At 3.5 miles, we took just over four hours to hike it, and we were one of the slowest groups. See the link posted above for directions and a trail map.

This kid got very dirty on the hike. He liked to dig in the dirt and wipe sweat off of his face. 

One evening, we went to the tabernacle to guide tours (or more appropriately, leave the door unlocked and let people wander around). I found a great spot to take a picture of my boys. This is the best it gets.

We ate lunch at Marble Park in Bothwell. It was a fun park, up until PB slipped in a pile of mud. And then Mr. C followed.

Here are some picture of playing outside. How did I ever live without a yard for the kids to play in? It is everyone’s favorite thing to do.

We took a train ride on Frontrunner down to visit Grandma. It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed it better than driving two kids by myself. Although I know at least one man moved because we were a little loud.

Hiking. I don’t know if this really counts, it is a 1/4 mile nature trail ing American Fork canyon. But just the right size for PB.