The trip began with Laura and I driving up to Utah after work on Friday. We drove through the thick smoke of the Slide Fire near Flagstaff, and it looked eerie and surreal... Almost apocalyptic. Then we drove through a dazzling lightning storm on the way to Kayenta. Things were off to a great start.
We made camp at Goosenecks State Park in Utah, which is where the San Juan river bends and bends and bends. It was a pretty sweet sight to wake up to. Sia and Jason met us there, and we continued to North Wash, stopping for pictures on the Moki Dugway and Colorado River. (Unfortunately, none of these pictures will be posted until a later date since they're all on Jason's camera.)
By the time we stopped at the Hog Springs rest area, I was ready to be in a canyon. However, rain clouds were building, and Jason felt that it would be unsafe.
Normally, I appreciate how safety conscious he is. But I was not having a good day. So I started an argument. And apparently it was bad enough that both Sia and Laura felt the need to disappear. Jason kept trying to explain what would happen if there was a flash flood and suggested Little Egypt as an alternative, and I said, "No, I want to be in a canyon RIGHT NOW." He finally suggested hiking up from
the bottom of Leprechaun, which I grudgingly agreed to. "Just so you know, you are dealing with one girl with PMS and another girl on her period. That's what happens when you travel with women." And I stormed off.
When Sia got back in his car a few minutes later, he asked if she was okay. "Do you um, need anything?" he asked, looking both uncomfortable and concerned. "No..." Sia replied, wondering what that was about. When we put those two stories together, we just about died laughing. Poor Jason.
When we met up again at North Wash, Jason proposed a compromise. We'd hike up Leprechaun as far as we could, then do Morocco (a short, easy canyon that doesn't slot up), then Little Egypt. I gave him a hug and apologized and thanked him for being wonderful (I mean, he really does have the patience of a saint), and Laura said, "Aww, Mommy and Daddy made up."
And a few minutes later I was prancing down Belfast Boulevard, filled with joy because I was in a canyon.
Until we reached a long pool.
It was right before the narrows section we were going to go up. A group was coming down as we got there, and they told us it was a full swimmer. Ugh. None of us felt like swimming, especially because we were just out playing. So we turned around.
As we were hiking, we heard the rumble of thunder. Jason burst out laughing. "And this girl wants to be in a slot canyon!" he said.
It occurred to us that Morocco would probably be wet, too, so our next stop was Little Egypt. Jason loves climbing the hoodoos, and we were excited to see if Laura could match his abilities. (Laura had never been canyoneering before, and Jason was thrilled to discover that she was a natural.)
Jason scrambled up to his bicycle seat, and we wanted Laura to join him. After several failed attempts, Sia and I tried to lend a helping hand. This resulted in one of the funniest moments of the trip, when Sia and I were trying to boost Laura and I apologized for being all up in her ass and Jason was laughing so hard he almost fell off the rock. Apparently we put on quite a show, but sadly, Laura couldn't make it up there.
We played on the rocks a little longer (it really is like a giant playground), made camp, and fell asleep early.
Not very exciting video of Goosenecks:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BhoLy0avJ3k
Uneventful video of Little Egypt:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KyHTaIZoPIk
We made camp at Goosenecks State Park in Utah, which is where the San Juan river bends and bends and bends. It was a pretty sweet sight to wake up to. Sia and Jason met us there, and we continued to North Wash, stopping for pictures on the Moki Dugway and Colorado River. (Unfortunately, none of these pictures will be posted until a later date since they're all on Jason's camera.)
By the time we stopped at the Hog Springs rest area, I was ready to be in a canyon. However, rain clouds were building, and Jason felt that it would be unsafe.
Normally, I appreciate how safety conscious he is. But I was not having a good day. So I started an argument. And apparently it was bad enough that both Sia and Laura felt the need to disappear. Jason kept trying to explain what would happen if there was a flash flood and suggested Little Egypt as an alternative, and I said, "No, I want to be in a canyon RIGHT NOW." He finally suggested hiking up from
the bottom of Leprechaun, which I grudgingly agreed to. "Just so you know, you are dealing with one girl with PMS and another girl on her period. That's what happens when you travel with women." And I stormed off.
When Sia got back in his car a few minutes later, he asked if she was okay. "Do you um, need anything?" he asked, looking both uncomfortable and concerned. "No..." Sia replied, wondering what that was about. When we put those two stories together, we just about died laughing. Poor Jason.
When we met up again at North Wash, Jason proposed a compromise. We'd hike up Leprechaun as far as we could, then do Morocco (a short, easy canyon that doesn't slot up), then Little Egypt. I gave him a hug and apologized and thanked him for being wonderful (I mean, he really does have the patience of a saint), and Laura said, "Aww, Mommy and Daddy made up."
And a few minutes later I was prancing down Belfast Boulevard, filled with joy because I was in a canyon.
Until we reached a long pool.
It was right before the narrows section we were going to go up. A group was coming down as we got there, and they told us it was a full swimmer. Ugh. None of us felt like swimming, especially because we were just out playing. So we turned around.
As we were hiking, we heard the rumble of thunder. Jason burst out laughing. "And this girl wants to be in a slot canyon!" he said.
It occurred to us that Morocco would probably be wet, too, so our next stop was Little Egypt. Jason loves climbing the hoodoos, and we were excited to see if Laura could match his abilities. (Laura had never been canyoneering before, and Jason was thrilled to discover that she was a natural.)
Jason scrambled up to his bicycle seat, and we wanted Laura to join him. After several failed attempts, Sia and I tried to lend a helping hand. This resulted in one of the funniest moments of the trip, when Sia and I were trying to boost Laura and I apologized for being all up in her ass and Jason was laughing so hard he almost fell off the rock. Apparently we put on quite a show, but sadly, Laura couldn't make it up there.
We played on the rocks a little longer (it really is like a giant playground), made camp, and fell asleep early.
Not very exciting video of Goosenecks:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BhoLy0avJ3k
Uneventful video of Little Egypt:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KyHTaIZoPIk
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