Our friend, Stine, a teacher here in Monument Valley, took us on a sunrise hike around the Mittens. This was by far, my favorite hike of all that we have taken in Monument Valley
As the light dawned on the mittens, the immensity of the mittens dawned on me.
Our friends, Mark and Shannon, took us hiking in Corkscrew Canyon. It is not in a tourist area, and only people who live here can go to it. (You gotta know someone.)
It was beautiful and fun. We had to carry a ladder with us, and Shannon’s 25-year-old son had to scramble up and down a couple of tough places to place the ladder for us oldies.
Corkscrew Canyon is super cool.
The land folds are so crazy
Zeke went over where there was no wall or fence and sat on the edge. He thought it was so cool. “Look mom! It is miles down to the bottom.”
I forced myself to stay calm as I said, “please come back from the edge. He pulled his legs back to the top and stood up, no hands, wobbling a bit as he stood.
I died 1000 deaths reliving that wobble over and over.
Now this is why we came to Monument Valley!
Everyone under age ten cried on the way home, so it must have been a success.
Love
GlowWorm
In 2020, we were supposed to have a family reunion, but we had to postpone it due to covid restrictions. This year, when it was decided to postpone a second time, my dad reacted a huge group site at Aspen Grove so that any cousins who wanted to see each other and hike up Timp mountain could do so.
We had such a great time camping and hiking and visiting.
I took the four littlest kids up to the waterfalls.
The 4 little kids and I made it to the second waterfall (which, I believe, is 2 miles, but felt much longer.)
Zeke took baby penguin steps all the way up, so it was 2 hours up, and we only made it because I bribed him and Skeeter with fruit snacks most of the way.
Banana Cream Pie and Apple Pie ended up hiking ahead with cousins because the twins and I were so slow.
Zeke kept asking me if I would carry him, and I kept saying “no.”
Skeeter had a lot more trail left in his legs. When we got to the waterfall, he asked “Where is everybody?” I told him, “all the little kids have gone back down ahead of us. The big kids are going to the top.”
“I want to go to the top,” says he.
“It’s 5 more miles,” says me.
Raising both fists in the air, he announced “I can do it!” (I considered it for about 2 seconds before I came to my senses and we headed back down to camp.
About 2/3 of the way back down, Zeke stopped a total stranger on the trail and asked super pitifully, “Would you carry me?”
I could tell that good-hearted guy was considering it 😂 😬 😬😬😬😬
I assured him we were fine and continued shepherding my boys down.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell on a hike if your 5 year old is actually tired or just bored. I think Zeke was actually tired.
The summit hikers’ report from the resident Captain
Great climb with the kiddos up Mt. Timpanogos, Utah elevation 11,752 ft. above sea level. This was a deceptively difficult climb, but we made it safely. The views were spectacular, and this ranks as the most scenic climb I have done. We hiked about 16 miles round trip and it took us about 14 hours.
This was the most difficult climb and tallest mountain that Cherry Pie and Key Lime Pie had attempted. Both of them did great.
We decided to glissade down the snow field instead of hiking back down the trail. You can see the scale of the mountain by how small we look.
Some pictures of our adventures this weekend in Arkansas. The kids loved climbing on the huge boulders, and the waterfall was fun.
After our hike, we camped at Kyles Landing on the Buffalo River. Our camp neighbor brought us the most delicious pork chops he had grilled but couldn’t eat all by himself.
The last time we camped as a family was when the twins were only 18 months old. It was the most miserable experience I’ve had camping. But this trip was everything I have always hoped family camping could be. The kids weren’t fussy (the twins are 5 now and can hike over two miles),
we had good laughs and s’mores around the camp fire, the weather was beautiful, and the scenery was spectacular. And we got home just in time for #GeneralConference
Results of combining my early morning walks with the BirdNET app. I actually know what birds I’m hearing now. 🥰🥰🐦#naturejournal #watercolorpencils #charlottemasonirl #birdwatcher
Hiking at Roaring River, because good parents subject their children to regular bouts of miserable outdoor experiences. #outdoorfamilyadventures #totallycountingthisforhomeschool #charlottemasonliving
Marvelous Pigs in Satin 