Spontaneous Trip

We decided Sunday afternoon that the weather was decent enough we should take a trip and go somewhere. So we got up early on Monday morning and drove to Arches National Park (only a three hour drive).

Our first stop was to climb Delicate Arch (3 miles one way).

After only a few minutes Austin decided he wanted out of the backpack and in on the hike. I was so impressed. He hiked the rest of the way to the Arch, with only a little help from the rest of us (who were afraid he'd fall off the cliff).

There were lots of "trail markers" along the slick rock to make sure people followed the trail. I tried to explain to Austin what they were, so every time he saw one he would shout, "look mom, another "trail"!" He even started to count them. It was pretty cute.

The little kids really wanted to do everything the big kids did but sometimes short legs are a real hinderance.

I just had to capture this on camera. Dallin was so sweet to Eden. It was really hard for her to hike the whole time and never have anyone carry her. We all tried to be encouraging but when I saw this I just thought, "there's nothing like having an older brother to help you."

That's Delicate Arch in the background, we're almost there.

I didn't trust Austin to walk around this narrow ledge. I had visions of him falling to the bottom.

We made it!

Time for a well deserved snack and a break.

And maybe time for a little nap. As if Austin could help himself.

Amazingly, though, the kids were ready for more. We did a few more short hikes before we called it a day (because Ryan and I were getting tired).

I had so much fun with the kids. When we were done hiking we had dinner in Moab and then drove home. It was a long day but a nice break from the clouds and cold of Northern Utah (even though it was still cold and partly cloudy down south, it was warm enough to have fun).