April Family Adventure and Hike #2: Hiking in Kolob - Taylor Creek Trail

Starting out.

None of us, our southern Utah native included, have ever hiked in Kolob. It's a little ridiculous. It's closer to St. George than Zion proper, and the scenery there is amazing without the Zion crowds. We did three miles on the Taylor Creek Trail! A new distance record for our family! I tried not to make too big of a deal out of it at the time because I think that would've caused Nate to pencil in a 6-day backpacking trip on our summer agenda right then and there. But I'll say it now, I'm impressed with us. The children were troopers, especially little Leah, who hiked almost the entire thing without being carried! 

Addison was "Addison-bot" for the first half mile or so.

We love it when Grandpa can come along!

It was fun to follow the stream's twists and turns. We crossed it 12 times in each direction. We had snack breaks and the kids played a little hide and seek. At one point I needed to nurse Asa, so I found a nice secluded place with a conveniently fallen log, and the kids played in the water. I love to watch them playing outside like little wild children.

   

  

Leah's hiding spot during hide and seek.

Bryn bonked her head on the rock before this picture, and it shows.

Asa enjoyed digging his little toes in the sand. He made sure to sample it, as well.

 

I think this picture is going to have to find its way onto a wall.

 We made it to the cabin! We thought we'd be able to go inside and explore, but it was all locked up. We peeked in the windows, though, and it was probably for the best. Kind of run-down and creepy inside.

Nate is hilarious.

Isn't it beautiful?

Naptime at long last.

I carried Leah for just the last little bit, and she was the best cheerleader. "Go Mommy, go! You can do hard things!" Over and over and over.

It was a great hike for our family. Well-chosen, Nate. Here's my final tally:

Pros:

-Low crowd level
-Negligible elevation gain
-Wide trail
-Beautiful scenery

-A "destination" we could actually reach: a cabin, although it wasn't the end of the trail, but it felt like a nice place to finish.

-Lots of very shallow water.

Cons:

-We got sand in the trail mix.

- Leeches in the water. Kind of sick, but not a huge deal.

-Bryn had to go potty and I was nursing the babe at the time and therefore unavailable to coach her on the fine art of doing your business in the wild. She didn't know that squatting is a necessity.