Return to Kanarraville Falls

The kids had a dentist appointment in Cedar City, which meant that I had to take the day off work and they got out of school for the day. With beautiful weather and 0% chance of rain, I thought it might be a good time to go back to Kanarraville Falls, a lovely slot canyon hike south of Cedar City. I asked the kids, and after thinking about it a little, they agreed. Last year we did this hike and all had cold feet, so this year we had neoprene socks. I also packed some extra layers in case they got cold.

Then we set off down the trail. We quickly got hot and were looking forward to the cold water in the creek.

In fact, the kids couldn't resist going down the water slide.

We continued on, finding more small waterfalls and having fun climbing over obstacles.

It didn't take too long until the creek turned and we entered the high canyon walls.

We reached the first waterfall. Some other people were climbing up the ladder next to it. Desert Boy said, "Can we go into the cave?"

"What cave?" I asked.

"The one behind the waterfall."

I shrugged. I didn't know there was one. "Sure."

The kids scampered behind the water.

Sure enough, there was a little alcove. And they were so proud  of themselves for finding it.

We climbed up and continued to another little waterfall. Guess where Desert Boy wanted to go!

A bit further on are more waterfalls that seem like they would be super fun with full sun. I convinced Desert Boy to slide down one.

Can you see his blur?

It was fun, but it was also cold, and we weren't finding much sun in the canyon now. So out came the jackets, balaclavas, and gloves. The kids started finding the drier passages through the creek.

We took a group shot before the second ladder, which has deteriorated a lot. We decided this was a good place to turn around, especially since the kids were so cold.

I did get in a few more photos.

At the top of the first ladder I saw the crazy amount of bolts everywhere. It was seriously out of control. Right above the drop I saw a yellow rope. I went and took a closer look and saw that it was the cheap rope you buy at the store that might hold 200 pounds. Except someone had girth-hitched it to each of the hangars. Girth hitching is one of the ways to reduce your strength the fastest, by \about half! Plus there were knots in the lower part of the rope as hand holds and the rope was seriously frayed. It very well could have broken with just 50 pounds on it. I didn't have a knife, but I pulled it up so at least anyone who put it down would see just how awful condition it was in. The old webbing that was being used as a handhold on the ladder side wasn't in much better shape.

I felt good about the ladder though, it seemed solid.

We warmed up as we hiked downstream and got into more sun. We started running into a few more people, as it was after school. I've seen photos from people who go on weekends, and it's a constant stream of people through the canyon, so I highly recommend trying to go at a non-peak time.

We got back to the first water slide and guess who had to give it a go! It was fun enough I went several times.

Desert Girl says she would write about this photo: "We went to a hike near Cedar City. We found a water slide. A rock water slide. It was very fun. But a bit cold."

Here's a link with directions on how to get to this hike. Make sure to check the forecast before you go to avoid flash floods, and have fun!

2016 Wheel-a-thon

Every year the local schools do a fundraiser called the Wheel-a-thon. Kindergarten, first, and second graders ride eight miles, and grades three through six ride 16 miles. They get pledges for riding each mile. They also stop each mile to get a mark on their hands and to get snacks and drinks. I didn't think I was going to be able to attend due to a work conflict, but the day before that was solved, so I went. The day started out with riding the bus to the road that had been shut down for the event and meeting the new superintendent.

Then it was off under very cloudy skies. The weather forecast was not favorable, and I made sure to have a raincoat packed!

The kids were always eager to go after each rest stop.

Volunteers sit at the mile markers to hand out snacks and water and do the hand marking. Many of them come year after year.

The teacher had different kids lead each mile, but over all, the kids found a place where they were happy riding and mostly rode there, talking with friends and enjoying not being in the classroom for the day.

This volunteer has been helping for over 20 years and donated all her t-shirts from the event last year. I think someone is going to make it into a quilt.

Ready to go again! Fortunately the wind held off until the last mile and a half going south. Then it was at our backs for the entire ride back.

Then we met the younger kids coming the other direction. It was like a big reunion, especially with siblings in both schools. I finished riding with the big kids and caught up with the younger kids.

The younger kids are on much smaller bikes, some still with training wheels. I think this event helps the kids ride their bikes better faster, as they want to keep up with their friends.

Adults supervise and have fun riding too. We also got to be bike mechanics, as some of the kids are growing faster and needed to have their seats raised to ride more efficiently. And then there were flat tires, chains falling off, squeaky chains, and more. We kept everyone riding.

Desert Girl is delighted that there's another girl in first grade and they rode together the whole time.

I never noticed that there is a slight hill on this road until I looked at this photo! The school bus brought up the rear. We're almost done!

Just one more mile to go! These kids are good sports, ready to keep pedaling. And they sure had a lot of revolutions to make these little bikes go!

Those training wheels provide lots of friction over the course of eight miles, so these kids get an extra workout.

At the end we took a group photo of participants and some of the volunteers.

Then it was time to go to the gym for lunch. Yum! The Parent and Teacher Association provided the main course, and then families brought in side dishes.

And desserts. There was no shortage of food!

We were grateful to have the weather cooperate and such a great day outside. I think the kids learn a lot about life during this event, like perseverance and patience. Plus they get a good dose of exercise!

You can find more on my friend Jenny's blog.

Trail Run with Colorful (and Welcome) Distractions

 My dear husband took the kids Sunday morning so I could go for a trail run. I wanted to check out the Timber Creek-South Fork Baker loop (about 5.5 miles) and see the fall colors before a winter storm arrives in the next couple of days.  I started off on the relatively flat section of the trail, with fall colors around me.

As I climbed up into Timber Creek, the yellows became more brilliant. Although I was trying to run faster than the last time I had run the trail, I had already decided I was going to take photos with my phone whenever I wanted, no matter if that made my time slower. I couldn't really remember my earlier time anyway, so that took a lot of pressure off.

Some of the leaves were off already at the higher elevations.

To my great surprise, I saw people on the trail! I passed these two--what a fun feeling it is to pass someone on the trail, even if I was basically just walking fast because I'm not fast enough to run up switchbacks. I also saw nine backpackers coming down this trail, and two backpackers later, for a total 13 people!

I really liked the sections of trails where leaves covered the winding path. Plus it was a little flatter here, which is always a nice change on a trail that gains and loses 1,800 feet in 5.5 miles.

The meadow at the top was as glorious as I was imagining. The fast-moving clouds allowed for dramatic vistas, including the backside of Wheeler Peak and Jeff Davis.

I veered off the trail for a bit and found these cool aspen trees. I especially like the symmetry.

Sunlight illuminated the top of Pyramid Peak and the aspen grove on the far side of the meadow.

Looking north, there were more great colors.

I had to try for a selfie, you know, to prove I was there. It was really windy in the meadow.

I headed down along South Fork Baker Creek, seeing the colors turn in the riparian veg, too.

The colors were even better on the South Fork Baker side, with so many leaves blanketing the trail.

Yep, this really is the way!

When I came out to the lower meadow, I saw some backpackers enjoying the view and soaking up the sun.

I said a quick hi and kept running.

Till I stopped to take more photos!

Most of the color is due to the quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) leaves, but willows and skunkbush also provided a nice splash of color.

It was a fun run/walk and I was happy to finish in under two hours. Maybe sometime I'll find where I wrote down my earlier times and see how I did. But even if I didn't, it was a great excuse to get outside and enjoy part of our beautiful world.