Hiking the New Serviceberry Trail, Great Basin National Park

The weather forecast was perfect--warm and clear, and Jenny and I hadn't been on the Serviceberry Trail up Snake Creek in Great Basin National Park. We decided it was time! We were joined by some friends to make a big group hike after school one day. It was a warm day, in the 80s.

The trail was just finished last year, although the designer is quick to point out that it's not totally finished, some of the trail needs work to make it more level (a lot of it is sloped and off camber, which can make difficult footing for some, but the trail itself is easy to follow). It's either 3.2 or 3.6 miles long, depending on which sign you believe.

Little Willow was so ready to go hiking!

Hiking with a bunch of kids is lots of fun, as they entertain each other. And it's nice to get some adult talk in, too.

Desert Boy also brought along a book. My little bookworm.

We also brought some walkie-talkies and the kids took turns using them (or fought about if it was their turn).

The kids wanted frequent breaks, and we taught them to stop in the shade. At one stop, Desert Girl pulled out her notebook and started sketching. It totally took me by surprise!

Finally we finished going up the sunny, steep switchbacks and made it to the other side of the ridge. There we found an awesome granite boulder for the kids to climb.

This part of the trail was full of surprises, like this beautiful aspen stand.

Desert Girl took lots of photos. Like over 150! I still haven't downloaded those.

We saw some flowers still blooming, like these lupine.

I really enjoyed the aspen grove and the granite boulders.

The aspens were turning colors and were so beautiful. It was getting late, as we started the hike after school and the sun was now going down behind the mountains.

Some of the kids were getting a little tired (especially Desert Boy), but they kept hiking; they didn't have much other choice.

Desert Girl kept taking photos.

Here's Jenny coming up the trail.

Then we popped back over the ridge and saw some gorgeous aspen colors up towards Pyramid Peak. The buckwheat was another flower still blooming strong.

The trail went further to the west than I expected, allowing for some really nice views of riparian aspen and sagebrush-covered hills. There's mountain mahogany in the foreground and white fir in the background.

More fall colors

I got distracted taking photos and some of the group got ahead of me. Can you see them in the photo below?

Little Lily was getting tired. Jess got extra exercise carrying her almost the whole way.

The last part of the trail went through the riparian area next to Snake Creek.

It was time for a run once we spotted the vehicles!

At the finish, the kids were rewarded with popcorn.

It was a really fun hike, with friends through a variety of habitats. We had been told it was an easy, rolling trail, but I would classify it as moderate. There's more elevation gain than I expected (650+ feet), with some steep switchbacks on one side. It took us about three hours to hike the 3+ miles with kids and lots of stops. Thanks to everyone who came with!

Kershaw-Ryan State Park - Spring Break 2015

 We were headed home from Las Vegas, a five-hour prospect, and the sun was setting quickly. We had to make a decision: drive all the way home or spend one more night out? The plan had been to camp one more night (night five), but being so close to home, we could also feel the pull. When I thought about driving so far in the dark, though, with lots of animals along the road, I decided we would stay one more night. That way we would have time to explore a little more. And I'm all about exploration.

I started with the beautiful Joshua tree forest along Highway 93 west of Caliente. This isn't a forest like you see in the Eastern United States or in the Pacific Northwest or the Rocky Mountains. A Joshua tree forest is spectacular in its own way.

The setting sun really lit up these trees. Then I noticed two hawks talking to each other from the tops of two trees. I went a little closer to get a better look and found they were Swainson's hawks. These hawks winter in Argentina and are now back! Hello!

The flowers on the Joshua tree come in big terminal clumps.

The individual flowers themselves might not be so showy, but altogether they make for an impressive display.

We had to decide where to camp. We had several options: trailheads for the Silver State OHV trail, Kershaw-Ryan State Park, or Cathedral Gorge State Park. We ended up choosing Kershaw-Ryan, as I had never been there and it was only two miles from Caliente. We pulled into the 15-site campground and selected a site. The kids put up the tent all by themselves while I made their meal of choice: top ramen. Yep, we were living it up!

The very nice ranger stopped by and gave us a brochure and told us about the pay showers (8 minutes for 50 cents) and the firewood. We availed ourselves of both, then went to bed.

The next morning was chilly, so I started a fire and roused the kids to eat some hashbrowns. Yum!

I got just a little bit of attitude.

We wanted to get home by lunch so we could see my husband and have the afternoon to unpack, so we packed up and headed further into the park. We were amazed at what we found. A small wading pool was near the end of the road. Since it was March, it didn't have water in it, but we could imagine how much fun it would be in summer.

We also found a playground, which the kids loved.

We decided to take the Canyon overlook trail, about 1.4 miles long. But since we didn't have much time, I told the kids we were going on a trail run. They were good sports and started running.

The trail was great, with nice views.

And benches for resting and goofing around.

We kept climbing higher, getting a view of more of the park.

I wondered what was up the side canyons. Although the principal vegetation was sagebrush and everything seemed quite dry, these canyons are subject to flash floods. In fact, nearly all the park facilities were wiped out by two back-to-back flash floods in 1984, and it took a long time for the state to appropriate money to rebuild.

The canyon was originally developed in 1873 by Samuel and Hannah Kershaw, who called their ranch Meadow Valley Wash Ranch. In 1904 they sold it to rancher James Ryan, who then donated it to the state in 1926 as a park. The Civilian Conservation Corps developed facilities in 1934, and it became a state park in 1935. Although in some ways you feel like you're going back in time in the park, the frequent trains (we heard about ten during the night) remind you that progress is chugging along.

Leaves were just appearing on some of the trees.

When we finished the trail run (which the kids rocked!), they checked out the fish pond.

The ranger let them feed the fish, which they loved.

I'm looking forward to visiting again in the summer to check out all the rose bushes and for the kids to take a dip in the wading pool. This is truly an oasis, and the bird life is terrific. Kershaw-Ryan isn't far off the beaten path and definitely worth a stop. It was a wonderful way to end our fun spring break.

Moab Trip Day 2 - Adventure Races

 On the second day of our Moab trip, we got to sleep in a little. Hurray! Then we got ready and headed out to Kane Creek Road to join 999 other runners. This race was actually four races: the national championship trail marathon, a trail half-marathon, a 5K adventure race, and a kids 1K adventure run. I had signed up for the 5K, so was quite relaxed. I knew I wouldn't have a problem with the distance and I was really looking forward to the obstacles promised in the description: climbing a ladder, running through culverts and a cave, under an arch, up and down sliprock, rope assists, and more.

First we watched the first three waves start. Over 500 runners entered the half marathon and over 300 the full marathon. Within fifteen minutes over 800 people were off on the trail. Then it was time for the kids' run.

 The kids started lining up at the big starting line.

 Desert Girl looks a little uncertain at the start of her first race.

 Time for stretching, instructions (don't get ahead of the leader and stay on the course), and then it was time to go!

 Desert Girl knew what to do!


Before long I saw Desert Boy coming down the narrow trail section, a big smile on his face. He had already climbed the steep hill, gone under the arch and through the cave, and now was coming down a steep section (part of the same route as the 5K). He was loving it. I cheered him and he went on past while I waited for Desert Girl. My husband had gone to accompany her, and he said she did really well till she saw me.

 Here she is navigating the gully section that led to a huge culvert and down a ladder. I was worried about making it to the start of my 5K, which was a little down the road, but since the kids' run was on the 5K course, it had to be cleared first.

 They had three waves of starts for the 5K. I had estimated that I would be in the middle third of finishers, which put me in the second wave. I had considered asking to be moved up to the first wave, but then figured that despite doing some sprints in my runs lately, I probably wasn't really competitive with the Moab-area runners and the second wave would be fine. But I did go to the front of the pack so I could start out front. I figured that since it was a trail race, once we got on the trail it would be harder to pass. And it was. But it was still possible, like when we were running through the creek (twice!).

 I started catching up to the first wave by the time I got to the rope section. I had to wait for a couple people in front of me, but as I had been running rather fast, I didn't mind a chance to catch my breath. Sprinting and then resting was my strategy for the adventure race, and it worked well. My lungs burned as I continued running past the cacti, through the deep sand, across and down the slickrock, in gullies with loose rocks, but I knew I was doing well, so I pushed myself to continue. We ran through another culvert, traversed an obstacle course with balance boards, kids' tunnels (a tight fit!), hopping across lily pads, and even frisbee golf. Then it was a sprint to the end. When I finished, I had to sit for awhile just to catch my breath! My husband wasn't expecting me to finish as soon as I did, so he didn't have the camera ready.

 After I could breathe again, I saw the kids playing in the bounce house. I would like to tell the organizers what a brilliant idea that was! It kept the kids happy, occupied, and nearby. Desert Boy and Desert Girl jumped for over an hour.

The first half-marathon finishers came in shortly after I did. Wow! The winner finished in 1:30--on trails! I heard from a couple runners that it was an absolutely gorgeous course so am considering it for next year. The winner of the trail marathon finished in 3:03--a high school teacher from Fillmore, Utah who recently won the Spartan Ultrabeast, a marathon-length obstacle course. There are some really fit people out there! Fortunately most of the really fit people did the longer races, which meant that I won my age group. Yippee! I got a cool little trophy for my efforts, plus, more importantly, bragging rights!

After the race it was time to start on the rest of the day's activities...we had lots of fun things planned.