May Family Adventure Part II: A Day in Zion

We spent one of the St. George days in Zion National Park. Grandma, Grandpa, Sky, Aunt Lindsey and Uncle Micah came with us. The weather was perfect and the crowds were unreal. We found out later that over 80,000 people had visited the park over Memorial Day weekend! Because of the crowds, just getting into the park was an adventure. The parking lots had filled up long before we arrived, so after searching for a parking space and getting frustrated for a while, we turned around and had our picnic lunch on the lawn of an elementary school in Springdale. It was really fun, actually. The kids welcomed the chance to jump and run and explore. They licked honeysuckle and spied on lizards.

After lunch, we grabbed diaper bags and water to wait for the shuttle to take us into the park in order to get on the actual shuttle to go up the canyon. We waited forever and finally gave up and hatched an elaborate plan in which Nate would shuttle half of us in, drop us off, pick up the second half, and then hoof it in himself. It didn't work that way, but to make a long story short, we all finally made it in and onto the shuttle.

Leah and Sky waiting for the shuttle to take us into the park.

On the shuttle ride up Zion Canyon. We saw deer, wild turkeys, and lots and lots of beautiful cactus flowers.

We got to the trailhead and did potty breaks, etc. The kids were raring to go, so while we made our preparations, they ran down some little stairs to explore a creek that ran under the bridge.

When we were finally ready and had rounded everyone up, our group split up for the first stretch. While cute pregnant Lindsey, Grandma and Micah hiked to weeping rock, the rest of us chipped away at the Observation Point trail. Hiking with a lot of children, a body that was pregnant just a few weeks before, and a broken foot is an experience. Nate and I took turns getting frustrated at the need to stop and look at every single oddly-shaped stick and rock, and also having minor heart attacks as the big kids ran full-speed down a trail with a decent drop-off on one side. It was definitely an adventure. Just a different sort than we'd envisioned, I suppose. So we attempted (with low to moderate success) to change our expectations and just go with it. Joy in the journey, right? And the scenery was breathtaking.

We turned around and headed back down the trail after a short bit of hiking. Everyone was hot and the two-year-olds were getting whiney and the baby needed to eat. So we took a break by the creek. The temptation became too much to bear, and before long everyone was in the drink. This was my very favorite part of the whole day. It was so fun to watch the kids getting wet and dirty and exploring. It reminded me of my own exploring days as a kid in the woods behind our house.

Taking the plunge! Look at that face.

Yup. That's me nursing the baby during 80,000 visitor weekend at Zion. Although it looks nice and secluded, it definitely was not. And some people have no sense of personal space. It was a great vantage point for watching the kids play, though.

There was a little sand involved.

After Asa was done eating, it was time for a couple diaper changes. We realized that our copiously-packed diaper bag had been partially dumped in the car, and while we had plenty of size 1 diapers, the size 4's were nowhere in sight. So we packed Leah into a 1. And she hiked Weeping Rock trail with no pants on because they were totally soaked. She was a grump also, because she didn't take a nap. We were all pretty tired by that point, actually. But we walked to Weeping Rock, were wept upon by it, and have the photos to tell the tale. The day of hiking ended up laying waste to my darn boot. The top velcro snapped apart on the way back down the Weeping Rock trail, and by the time we got back home to jerry-rig a solution, the top shell had broken in half. What a pain. But we worked out a solution and I got a new one at the doctor the following week.

That and a triumphant trip to Dairy Queen on the way back to Grandma and Grandpa's house completed our first real outdoor adventure as a family of six. Frankly, it sort of rocked me and Nate's world, I think. We've done all kinds of analysis on the experience since. While we didn't get a great workout or defy death in any way, and Nate and I shared some frustration on this adventure, it was worth it. Family adventures are about the whole family. And we went and had this experience in this beautiful place and explored and had some ups and downs, but the long and short is, we got out and did. All together. And that is a definite success in my book. Here's to lots more.