A Fall Hike with Nine Kids

What's more fun than a regular hike? Why, take nine kids with! Fortunately we had five adults too.

Last weekend we decided to go high up on the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive to see the fall colors. Our first stop was Mather Overlook, where the kids delighted in running all over.

A sprinkling of snow on the mountain made it look quite different than the previous week. After the kids had run out some of their energy and sufficient photos were taken, it was time to head higher up the road.

The road up the mountain starts in Baker, NV at 5,300 feet elevation. About 5.5 miles later, the Scenic Drive starts at about 6,500 feet elevation and then ascends to over 10,000 feet elevation in 12 miles.

That means you gain about a mile in elevation in about a half hour. It is an amazing drive!

Almost near the top of the road we had a good view of the Wheeler Peak cirque, which holds Nevada's only glacier. Wheeler Peak is on the right, Jeff Davis Peak on the left.

We then passed the Wheeler Peak Summit Trail parking lot, which was nearly full (go summit hikers!), and went to the parking lot for the shorter trails, which also had a lot of cars in it. Then it was time to decide what to do. We decided that given we had nine kids, all six and under and one not yet walking, a trip to Stella Lake (0.9 miles away) and back would be doable with great views.

Quickly the older kids banded together and led the way. They were delighted with the snow and started making snow angels.

Of course the younger kids thought that was pretty cool and copied!

The other popular activity was an ongoing snowball fight--Ava even has some on her nose!

We trekked along at a slow but steady pace. (We averaged a mile an hour, if you were wondering.)

Snow eating was also a common sight!

I was so impressed with little Isaac, who walked almost the whole way. He did a great job!

We saw some non-native wild turkeys along the way. They look like they've been eating a lot.

And then we arrived! The kids rushed to the water and I wondered who was going to fall in. We didn't have any extra clothes, so we told the kids to be careful.

But you know how well kids listen!

After eating, we posed for some photos.

What a beautiful day!

Only a few kids got their feet wet, so that was good.

Desert Boy took off running from the lake, his cowboy hat over his hoodie.

Later he slowed down to have a snowball contest with his friends.

Even moms got into the snowball fight! (Look at how Isaac is trying to steal his mom's snowball!)

Good aim!

The kids were definitely more tired on the way back, but it was downhill. We had plenty of time for conversation.

And Desert Girl posed for a few photos on a tree bench.

At the end, some of the kids still had a little extra energy!

And then it was time to wind our way back down the mountain. (And naps for quite a few of the hikers.)

At this moment, Great Basin National Park is closed. Here are ten things (actually twenty!) to do while you're in the area, and some are outside the park.

Desert Destination: Antelope Island

 We visited Antelope Island over Memorial Day weekend, and it blew away my expectations. Anyone visiting the Salt Lake City area should take a trip out here. Antelope Island is one of ten islands in the Great Salt Lake, and it's the largest, covering about 42 square miles.

 To reach it you cross a seven-mile causeway. During really low water years, the island becomes a peninsula. During really high water years (like in the early 80's), the road was inundated and the island closed for many years until funding could be found to rebuild.

 Once we got to the island, we went to the visitor center and checked out some interesting exhibits, picked up a junior ranger booklet, and watched the park film. Then we decided to head out and check out a trail.

We chose the Buffalo Point Trail, 0.3 miles long but a little steep and rocky. The kids thought we were hiking to the moon, they weren't very cooperative.

For those a little more enthusiastic about hiking, Antelope Island has about 20 miles of trails. It also has trail runs! I might have to come back for one of those! Some of the trails are open to horseback riding and mountain biking. (Another good reason to return!)

 The views were great. The Great Salt Lake is so large you can almost feel like you're at the ocean. And the high salt content (about 25% at times) makes it even smell a little like the ocean, although it's too salty for fish to survive in the lake.

 Birdwatching is a major attraction on Antelope Island. We had closeup views of some chukar. (Here's a bird list for Antelope Island.)

 At the top of the trail were some really cool rocks, Cambrian Tintic Quartzite. These rocks are old (550 million years old), but there are even older rocks on the island. Precambrian rocks (Farmington Canyon Complex, 1.7 billion years old) are found in the park, and they're as old as the rocks at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. (You can download a geology map of the island here.)

 It was a little windy, but oh, so beautiful. Sitting up there on the rocks, looking out over the Great Salt Lake made me feel quite serene. It's a little piece of peace so close to the hustle and bustle of the Wasatch Front.

 We saw quite a few bison as we drove and stopped to take a few photos. The island was settled in the late 1840s, with the LDS Church controlling the ranch, which ran cattle and sheep on the island, until 1870. Then John Dooly, Sr. purchased the island. He set up the Island Improvement Company, which ran the ranches and managed the island for almost a century, from 1884 until 1981.  The State of Utah purchased the northern part of the island in 1969 and the southern part, including the historic Fielding Garr Ranch, in 1881, and removed the cattle and sheep. (Source)

Twelve bison were taken to Antelope Island in 1893 (or 1897--I saw both dates listed). This was the start of a herd that became the largest in the United States for a time (despite an attempt to hunt them all in 1926). Today, with a herd of 550-700 bison, it's one of the largest publicly owned bison herds in the nation.

Every October, they hold a bison roundup--and they let the public participate! If you'd like to round up bison, you can, with your own horse or a concessionaire horse (check out the Antelope Island State Park website for details).  Sounds like fun!

By the way, if you're like us and wonder how could animals survive on a desert island surrounded by water that is too salty to drink, there are several freshwater springs on the island that wildlife use. Other wildlife on the island include mule deer, pronghorn (the 'antelope' for which the island is named), bighorn sheep, bobcats, and porcupine.

We couldn't stay long, but we'll be back, just like the California gulls. Antelope Island has a couple campgrounds, and that would be a great way to experience the island. There's also swimming in summer and showers to rinse off the salt and sand.

If you do visit, remember insect repellent. This can be a buggy place!


To see posts about other great spots to visit in northern Utah, check out:
Golden Spike National Historic Site
Hill Aerospace Museum
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
Utah State Railroad Museum

Clouds

 With our stormy weather we've been treated to wonderful cloud displays. So many times I've wished I had a camera or was in a better vantage point. Nevertheless, I've managed to capture a sampling of the magical clouds over the desert floor. Hope you enjoy!

Stormy End of Summer

 This has been such a stormy few weeks. We're used to having monsoons in July and August, but usually most of them provide dry lightning and a little cloud cover and not much else. This year, it started raining in mid-August and has rained nearly every day.

 One afternoon after a particularly hard downpour, we were treated to a double rainbow. The kids, their friends, and I ran outside to enjoy it.

 Then came the best part for them: jumping in puddles!

 They ran and jumped, splashed, and repeated. It was warm enough that they didn't care if they got a little (or a lot) wet.

 Desert Girl really wanted to go touch the rainbow. I tried to get creative about where the rainbow ended, but it didn't end up quite like I wanted. Nevertheless, it was sure beautiful!

 We decided to go for a walk, and the kids were on a mission to find every puddle they could.

 Some of the puddles were nice and deep, allowing for big splashes.

 We don't get to enjoy puddles out here in the desert too often, so this was a wonderful treat. It didn't hurt that mud was involved!

 I was wondering if we would see any flash flooding, but the ground did a pretty good job of absorbing most of the rain. After two drier than normal years, the ground is thirsty!

 I couldn't resist a photo of the old time wagon and barn. It always looks so neat, but if I had to use it all the time, I might not think quite the same.

 The rainbow stuck around for a long time, gracing us with its beauty.

Life is good with a friend and a puddle and the freedom to run wherever you want!