The Happy Hiker Is BAAACK!

Willis Creek Canyon is near Escalante off of Utah's Scenic Byway Route 12. Any hiking trail near Highway 12 is worth pursuing, if you ask me. I love the drive and I love the scenery. ANY day that involves a hydration pack and hiking shoes is a good day in my book. Add a slot canyon to the mix, and I'm in happiness overload!

When my rheumatologist told me "no more hiking...no more skiing" at the beginning of the summer, I took a few weeks to let that sink in. And then I decided NO WAY. I have to live life on my terms, and that includes being outdoors and enjoying nature. The serenity and joy I experience when I'm outside can't come any other way.

A friend had invited me to hike what she called "the narrows." In my mind, I was picturing the Subway at Zion's National Park, and I jumped at the chance. As it turns out, we were headed to Willis Creek Canyon near Escalante. THAT hike is on my little hiking bucket list, too, so it was ALL good.

We didn't hike very far, but we spent a couple of hours in that canyon with our cameras. We photographed every little thing: rocks, frozen puddles, cracks in the rock, sunbursts, even each other. We even spent a little time at some rancher's corral, taking pictures of the cedar posts and barbed wire. Barbed wire? Yeah, I know, that's just how I roll. I have a thing for barbed wire.

It wasn't until we were lingering over the most delicious Lemon Cream Pie ever, that we discovered we had hiked the "lesser" slot canyon of Willis Creek. Say what??? Yes, if we had persevered another quarter of a mile or less, we would have witnessed the even bigger, better, and more beautiful slot canyon just a little farther down the creek. And apparently, there's even a THIRD one, the biggest, best, baddest one of them all. (Bull Valley Gorge, for future reference.)  Even finding that out didn't dampen our spirits; we simply added that to our list of places to go. I am THRILLED to know I can go back, and hike in such an amazing and awesome slot canyon. No wonder the other hikers we'd seen earlier never came back before we left. They had made a discovery that will have to wait for us another day.

I'm BAAACK, and it feels so good!

***If you like slot canyons, you'll go crazy for this one: Little Wild Horse Canyon (click on title for link to post). Most amazing hike through nearly four miles of a slot!

There's just something about old, gnarly trees that speaks to me.

My only complaint?  The barbed wire wasn't rusty enough.  As I age, I find beauty in things old and weathered.

Always on the lookout for heart-shaped rocks.  I will add it to my collection of heart rocks from my boys.

I got lost in the beauty of the place.

Thanks for sharing your photography tips with me, Connie!

Be still, my heart.

I followed the siren's song of this small waterfall until it came into view.

A perfect day, combining hiking and photography.

The view from the dirt road that leads to Willis Creek.

Missing the Mountain

Sometimes it's just the mountain and me; no iPod, no phone, no companion. At times like that, I find myself lost in thought, and it is almost as if I am performing a walking meditation.  It is a time for reflection, and immersing myself in the moment.  When I listen to music on my iPod, I may be able to go faster, but I miss the birdsong, the sound of running water and the movement of rocks and vegetation, every time I startle the rabbits and deer and birds. The smell of sage and sweet mountain air fills my nostrils. Hiking brings me to a place untouched by technology, and cares, and worries.

This is a picture of a deer that stopped grazing long enough for me to take its picture.  It wasn't disturbed by my presence, and I felt privileged to share this moment with him.

I have missed hiking this summer.  In June, my rheumatologist scared me out of doing any activities that could potentially cause more damage to my back.  I've had three months to think about it, and I have determined that I am not going to let fear dominate my thinking any more.

It is the one activity that I can share with all of my children and my husband.  We all benefit from being together outdoors.  I don't know if I will ever be able to describe fully what being immersed in nature does for me.  All I know is that not having that experience lately has taken some of the luster out of my life, the wind out of my sails.

Living a fear-based life is living a life unfulfilled.  That is not the life for me.  This week, my husband has tried to help me come out of a brief bout of depression.  He has given me space and time.  He recognizes that these things will help me find my joy again.  When he asked me if I would like to hike, I felt myself perk up a little.  When he asked which trail I'd like to try, he already knew the answer.  The waterfall trail above Cherry Hill!  I have a feeling that once my hiking shoes are kicking up dust, my life will fall back into place.  My level of happiness seems to coincide with the level of activity in my life.  It's time to get busy!

Hiking My Way Back to the Girl I Used to Be

There is a children's song I know with these lyrics, "When we're helping, we're happy, and we sing as we go..."  I find this tune running through my head when I'm hiking in the great outdoors, and of course, I change the words to suit me, and it comes out like this, "When I'm HIKING, I'm happy, and I sing as I go..."

What is it about hiking that speaks to our spirit?  It wasn't until I was in college in Utah that I actually began hiking.  We did midnight hikes in Hobble Creek Canyon, day hikes to Mount Timpanogos, and overnight hikes in the beautiful Uintahs.  I had hiked alone, with my Lab Gordon, on dates, and with small groups of friends.  There never seemed to be a bad way to go.  

"A bad day hiking is still better than a good day at school," seemed to be our motto.  Hiking in those days was a great stress reliever, and a welcome break from classes.  Having this first-hand experience with nature seems to settle my soul.

After college and early on in my teaching career, I was married and had children.  It never seemed feasible for me to take my little ones. People do it, and I wish I had persevered, but through no one's fault but my own, I just didn't do it.

I tried to enjoy the mountains in my own way, bouncing along in our old truck to scout for deer, or elk, or bear.  We checked traps and did little short walks from the truck to the traps and back again. I would walk while my family fished.  I never was much for hunting and fishing, and somehow I allowed those activities to detract from my connecting with nature.

Colorado Rocky Mountain High 2012

After my 22 year marriage ended, I knew that I would have to make my way back to the Granola Girl I left behind those many years ago.  Hiking was the natural solution, and it has helped me reconnect with my children, and myself.

It has been my extreme pleasure to hike with my grown children.  I feel like I have had to make up for missed opportunities when they were younger. We hike the deserts and mountains near Saint George with Dylan, Colorado with Sierra, and central and southern Utah with Bridger.  

We have all grown closer through these outdoor experiences. Having adventures is what adds more depth and dimension to our lives.  Hiking gives us opportunities for private reflection,  quiet conversation, and finding humor in whatever circumstances we find ourselves.

We keep adding hikes to our bucket list. The longer my list grows, the happier I am. This year I hope we make it to Angels' Landing in Zion National Park. I want to explore the trails above Monrovian Park on Monroe Mountain. A visit to the Grand Canyon is long overdue; I've never seen it, and I have lived in the Rockies since 1979! I know that when I'm hiking, I'm happy. And there's a lot to be said for being happy!