We’ve seen just about all of it on these Yosemite trips we’ve been doing the last 7 years: park temporarily closed due to flooding, choking smoke from forest fires, unseasonably mild and dry weather, snow, too cold to snow, and a campground evacuation due to snow. On all of these occasions though, we at some point had been able to get on the climbs we wanted despite whatever Mother Nature was dishing out. I’m banking on this trip playing out the same way, as we arrived to 1+ feet of snow covering the entire valley and most of the boulders. Key word: Most. 😉
It feels like it’s been a long time since we’ve done a good and hard house project. I mean like really GOOD and HARD! Long hours of strenuous manual labor, muscles required, sweat loss by the gallons, the neighbors driving by real slow wondering why on earth are we out there in the mid-day desert heat with shovels or up on the hot roof, pulling the headlamps out at night to finish, get it done! get it done! kinda days where an ice cold beer or margarita at the end of it all never tasted so good. Like this, this, or wow….remember this!
Well, after 18 years of despising our mess of a “driveway” and too many no-quotes on finding a contractor crazy enough to fix it, we picked up our shovels and added one more good and hard do-it-yourself proj to the house project tick list.
Family back in town for a visit, my mom’s birthday, a hike, a trip to the Tucson Botanical Gardens, a new bike jump, pumpkins, costumes and our annual Halloween party. Last weekend was packed!!
We were a family of “mods” for Halloween (from The Book of Boba Fett for all you Star Wars people out there)
Not more than 1/2 a mile down into The Canyon during our last visit to the North Rim, someone announced an epic adventure idea. I can’t remember who exactly started the idea, but by the time we were 1 mile down on our hike that day, the idea was finalized into a plan. At the rate we were pushing, ticking off one huge hike a weekend in preparation for Mt. Kendall, we knew we would all would be quite fit for something big come October…something really big. And it just so happened that this October was the one that Silas would turn 13. And furthermore, his birthday landed on a weekend, smack dab in the middle of the kids fall break from school, which also happened to be the last weekend that amenities were open on the North Rim. The universe was clearly indicating that this was a primo opportunity. So like I said, it took us only a 1/2 mile of hiking to hatch the idea, and come up with the highly logistical plan to make it happen:
Hike the Grand Canyon, South Rim to North Rim, in a day, for Silas’ 13th birthday.
This was last weekend’s adventure, and there was nothing b-side about it: Mt Wrightson via the Florida Trail, all the way to the summit! 16 miles, 6k elevation gain, and weeds taller than last time!! We were sure to come prepared though with a change of pants and “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns and Roses stuck in our heads. A good time was had by all. 😁
Big mileage, strong kiddos, patient parents. Healthy foods, a good night’s sleep, the right gear. Positive attitudes, endless motivation, words of encouragement.
Ha! Right, that’s exactly us! Hahahhaaaaa. Consider this post the b-side to all our most recent trail adventures with the kids.
B-side adventure happens when:
I buy a variety of pre-wrapped snacks for the kids to munch while hiking, and realize them picking out which ones to throw into their packs is the one motivator in getting them to pack their pack the night before without complaints. …and sometimes the motivator for the hike itself
Our kids bicker endlessly on the hike over who traded what snack and whether or not it was a fair trade
Our kids have kicked it into high gear and I’m struggling to keep up and know that’s it’s either because a) they just downed an entire pack of those disgusting energy gummies that are nothing but sugar bombs or b) they’re talking about video games
Our son complains that his backpack hurts his back and instead of buying him a better pack, I buy myself one so that I can carry some of his stuff when he starts complaining next time
“Brunch at Barrio Charro” becomes the reward for not turning around before the planned destination is reached
One of the kids needs to poop and the trail is too steep and exposed for detours, let alone privacy
We realize we’ve left the breakfast and post-hike snack bag at home
A park ranger notices we’ve brought our kids along, strolls past all the near-death looking hikers, and starts asking us questions on where we hiked in from and where we’re hiking to, and then gets very confused upon hearing our response
We let the kids stay up way too late the night before because we all want to watch another Mandalorian episode (or three), and then we wake them at 3:45am, drive an hour to the trailhead, start up the trail, and then the youngest one stops dead in his tracks and declares “I don’t want to hike today.”
I can’t let go of the boulder problem i didn’t finish this summer in Durango and so decide that on the way to the Mt. Kendall Adventure, we MUST make a stop at the boulders so that I can send, despite massive protests by the kids. It’s not that the kids can’t wait to get to Kendall for the big hike, it’s that they can’t wait to checkin to our accommodations and watch some TV. (And for the record, yes, I sent).
In case anyone was wondering why it is we’ve been racking up the trail mileage this summer…
Mt. Kendall. 13,066 feet high and the prominent peak above the little mountain town of Silverton, Colorado, Kendall has a convenient little jeep road that runs right from town to the top, 6ish miles one-way. We hatched the idea while in the area about the same time last year for our wedding anniversary, and all played out even better than imagined. Gorgeous weather, peak fall foliage, just the right amount of family fitness to carry us to the top and back without whining, super swanky accommodations to relax in afterwards, and best of all good company – Linda, John and Mandy (our hardcore crew that can’t ever seem to decline an invitation for a good trail adventure. You guys rock!).
Yup. Nailed it.
Mt. Kendall up to the right and the town of Silverton down on it’s left.
“Well this looks like an eager crew!” – noted a passerby on the street in the chilly early morning as we were heading out.
