Day 11. Already day 11?! This trip has suddenly started going by really quickly! I have made a conscious effort to just take it day by day, which is unusual for my planning self. On this trip, I usually only know what the schedule is for the day of and possibly the next day. I think this has helped me to not get too overwhelmed with the kids!
Jordan drove out to Canyonlands NP this morning, which is about 30-45 minutes from Moab (to the Mesa Arch trailhead). The road within the park was not in the best condition but he felt ok about it. As he was leaving the park, the rangers were closing the road and the plows were coming in. Knowing that made me even more thankful he had made it back ok! Too cloudy for the sunrise shot he was hoping for. While he was gone, I had taken the kids downstairs for continental breakfast and had small talk with some friendly folks. Often times when we travel to National Parks, the people staying in the hotels/lodges that we are staying in are also visiting the area to see National Parks. We enjoy talking to others about the parks. As we were leaving the breakfast area to go back to the room, I was juggling milk and Emmy and trying to keep Jackson within an appropriate and safe distance from me all while trying to grab a cup of hot chocolate. A sweet lady offered to help me and made my cup of hot chocolate for me while her husband was warning me that it was really hot, not wanting the kids to get burned. She asked if I would like some help and I happily accepted. Don’t be afraid to accept help when offered! (as long as it isn’t something creepy, like holding your kids or following you to your room!). Others complimented how well the kids behaved that morning. I thanked them and agreed and mentioned that it was a good morning, but it’s not always that way! They understood and explained that they had four children themselves and knew what I meant.
We got back to the room, got dressed, and Jordan returned shortly. Since Canyonlands was closed for the morning, we went into Moab and walked around a few shops. We still haven’t found a Canyonlands ornament to buy, but hopefully we will get to visit the shop in the park tomorrow and find one there.
We grabbed an early fast food lunch and headed back into Arches to try the Delicate Arch trail again. Temperature was mid 30s and it was not snowing when we started the hike. When we got to the trailhead we had to wake Jackson up from a nap in the car, and he does not wake up happy. He was very weeping as we were getting ready to start the hike. We have a GPS tracking device that we use on back country hikes. We don’t even have the service turned on right now, but it made his day when we asked if he wanted to carry the GPS. We hooked it to his ski bibs and he thought he was big stuff carrying that around! It was a great distraction to get the tears to dry up as we started the hike.
The hike is 3 miles round trip with an elevation gain of about 400-500 feet. I have carried a pack that weighs as much as, if not more, than Emmy before for a 21 mile hike with 4000 feet elevation gain, but for some reason, I was really struggling about half the way up. Jackson had been wanting to walk and it was a safe place for him to do so. Jordan and I switched packs and he carried Emmy, and I carried his pack that Jackson was not in at the time. Jackson loved hiking on his own. We didn’t have our leash backpack with us (it was in the car) so we attached a hiking stick to his wrist and that worked as a leash! This way we could keep him on the trail! He was pretty cautious about not getting far from us and did not fight the hiking pole leash at all.
As we got closer to the Delicate Arch the trail becomes too dangerous for the kids to walk on their own so we switched packs again. I carried Emmy and Jackson rode on Jordan’s back in his pack. We also speak to everyone we pass on the trail and people speak to us too. Hikers are friendly! We met a couple that looked familiar and as we got closer to them, we both realized we had seen each other at breakfast!
Emmy rode along mostly silent! She started to sing for a few minutes on the way back and then went to sleep. We didn’t have phone service at the trailhead but as we were ascending to the top I heard a phone ringing. It was mine! I talked to my mom for a minute up at Delicate Arch and people that were passing by looked at me like I was a crazy person! 🙂
It was windy at the top so we didn’t stay long. We made it back to the car and wanted to swing through Canyonlands on our way back to the hotel. By the time we got loaded and on the road we realized we would pull in just as the visitor center was closing so we decided to wait to try tomorrow. (they reopened the road this afternoon after plowing).
We grabbed an early supper around 5 and got to sit right by the fire place at the restaurant. Back at the hotel, did some work on the computer, made an offer on a house (we are in the process of moving), and got the kids in bed before 8! It’s amazing what we can do from a computer/phone, over the internet, hundreds of miles away!
Live Moore Fully 