Willow Creek Sep 2016

Labor day weekend we decided to take a short camping trip up Big Cottonwood Canyon. We arrived at the trail head as the sun was setting and got to the campsite just as it was getting pretty dark. It's a somewhat steep climb but really isn't too strenuous. There are a few spots around the lake where people have camped before. We set up our tent and hammocks and made a fire. We went to bed pretty earlier, but because it was pretty cold and we stuffed 6 people in a 5 person tent, not everyone slept a whole lot.

In the morning, we peeked out the tent and there were two moose standing probably 100 feet from us. They started humping which was quite interesting but then ran off back into the bushes and trees. The view is super pretty in the morning and the sun reflecting off the lake with the mountains in the background is a pretty cool sight. The trees are also super pretty. It's a great easy campsite to get to and definitely worth the trip.

Saint George/Zion August 2016

As a last big trip of the summer, we decided to head down to Saint George and stay at Shelby and Sid's house and go boating and hiking down near Zion National Park. We left on Thursday night and got there late and went right to bed. The next morning we headed over to Sand Hollow State Park to go boating on the lake. We tubed, knee boarded and wake boarded. There are also some really cool places to cliff jump where the water is really deep. Afterwards we headed back to the house, sunburnt and hungry to eat some dinner. We went out to eat and then went over to Dixie Rock to watch the sunset and walk around a little bit.

The next day we went to Zion National Park. We went straight to Angel's landing which is a somewhat difficult hike. The first part involves a lot of switchbacks that are pretty steep. Once you make it to the top of the switchbacks you reach a part that involves quit a bit of scrambling with sharp cliff drops on either side. There is a chain to help guide you to the top. At the top, the view is great as you overlook the valley. It's definitely a fun hike and if you have limited time in Zion, Angel's landing is a must. Afterwards we ate some lunch and headed over to the narrows. We were all pretty exhausted after boating and hiking and being in the sun all the time so we didn't go too far into the narrows but they were pretty cool to see. Afterwards we headed back to the house and ate dinner and watched a movie and went to bed. The next day we went to church and then ate lunch at Emma's house and drove home.

Here's a link to the video we made: https://vimeo.com/178151560

Twin Peaks July 2016

My next adventure involved scaling a mountain. Tyler and I decided to head up to Twin Peaks, up Big Cottonwood Canyon. It's an 11k peak and it's not exactly an easy one. We got up at 5:00 and made it to the trailhead at 5:30. The first part of the hike involves going through the trees and a few meadows filled with flowers, and isn't extremely difficult. It's pretty steep but the shade offers cool temperatures at the beginning of the hike. Eventually, we made it out into the open where you start to scale a huge rock pile. It's tough because the rocks slide out from underneath you so getting up is a slow, tiring process. Once you make it to the saddle, you start scrambling up the side, and it's pretty easy for the most part. A few parts may involve some more technical scaling, but it is easily done without any climbing gear. After climbing and scrambling for a while you are at the top! It took us about 4 and a half hours to summit. The views were fantastic and the weather was great.

Moab July 2016

I had recently made some really cool new friends and gotten closer with my roommates and so we decided to plan a trip down to Moab and Arches national park. We left on a Thursday night and got there around 8:00 while it was still light to set up the camp along the Colorado river. It was a really nice campsite and big enough to fit two tents and however many hammocks we wanted. There were 9 of us I believe and we hadn't really set any plans in stone yet for the next two days. When everyone arrived we looked at the stars for a while and discussed whether it would be worth it to wake up at 4 am and make it to Mesa Arch for the sunrise. We decided it was.

We woke up and there wasn't any light in the sky yet, so the stars were still very visible. We drove from our campsite down to Canyonlands National park and made our way to the short Mesa Arch trail. We made it about 20 minutes before sunrise and it was a beautiful sight to see. After that we went to some look out points and then hiked up to whale rock and aztec butte. We were pretty tired and decided that we had seen a lot of the main attractions there in the park so we headed back to the campsite to take a nap, eat lunch and get ready for river rafting.

Luckily, Emma's friend Kyle was a river raft guide down in Moab and hooked us up with a sweet deal. For a great price we got the rafts and headed over to the river. We hit a few level one rapids, a level two, and a level three. It was about a 3 hour trip and it was super fun. Right before we hit the level three rapids, Cassidy dropped her paddle and jumped in after it. She grabbed it and we pulled her back into the boat right before we hit the big holes in the rapids and her and Shelby ended up falling out anyway. It as such a fun ride and we could not stop laughing afterwards. Afterwards, Shelby's car wouldn't start because the key had gotten wet so that took a while to figure out. Luckily the next morning we got it working again by a miracle.

The next day we went to Arches National Park and did the famous Delicate Arch hike in 100 degree weather. Definitely worth going to when in Arches. Afterwards we drove over to double arch, which really is more of a quarter mile walk. It is still a really cool place, and one of the easier, cooler places to visit in Arches. Due to the heat and how tired we were, we decided to call the day a little short and we headed out of the park to the sand hill right outside. The objective is to climb to the top and then run down it as fast as you can and then start tumbling. It is super fun, but you get absolutely covered in sand. We figured after sweating and getting all sandy the only thing we could do next is go swimming. We hit up a small little beach on the Colorado river and cooled off. It was extremely refreshing and afterwards we got some good food at a diner downtown. Overall it was a super fun trip and we all had a blast.

Here's a link to the video we made: https://vimeo.com/174421061

June 28th 2016

So today is my birthday! And I honestly wouldn't have wanted to spend it with anyone other than GV. She was heading on her mission in two weeks and I figured it would be a good day to spend together. She told me she was planning everything, so I just had to wait for the surprise. I had an idea we were heading to Bryce Canyon but I wasn't positive until I got in the car and she told me to head down I-15 South. I broke my phone first thing in the morning so that kind of sucked but it was great day.

We first stopped at Meadow Hot Springs which is about an hour and a half south of Provo. It's a pretty small swimming hole but pretty deep, probably around 10 or 15 feet. The water is very very clear though and you can see straight down to the bottom. They aren't the hottest hot springs that I've been to but they were extremely relaxing and nice. The water was probably 90 degrees. It was great because it wasn't too hot to put your head under and open your eyes and explore.

Afterwards we headed down to Bryce Canyon National Park. It was a park that I hadn't been to yet so I was pretty excited. It is best known for it's interesting rock formations known as hoodoos. We did a short three mile hike after walking around the rim and seeing some of the views. We were super exhausted from not having slept much the night before and getting up early so after the 3 mile hike we decided we would just wander around the park to the different look out points that you could just drive up to. In the afternoon it started to rain on us and then hail on us which was interesting because we had gotten kind of sunburnt earlier in the day. It was a super fun trip though and I wouldn't have wanted to spend my birthday anyway else.