Angels Landing and More

Since I didn't  go to Moab and expected to stay around Salt Lake for the holidays, I dragged the family down to St. George the week before Thanksgiving.

I'm so glad that I did.  Zion is my happy place.  

We rode the shuttle for the first time in ages.  It's quite uncrowded with half the seats removed.

Our goal: Angels Landing.  Not only does Annika claim this as her favorite hike, but you'll need a permit to hike it beginning April 1st.  Here are some of the views from the way up.  The canyon is remarkable!

The hike was noticeably easier for Annika this time than it was pre-pandemic when hiking it with her best bud Alesia.

The person who struggled most on the hike was our sweet Talia.  This poor girl caught the nastiest flu virus a week earlier on her birthday.  (Nope, it wasn't Covid--we checked.)  Her lungs were still recovering, so the hike up was exhausting, even though she didn't complain.

Hopefully she looks back and feels like it was worth it.

Winding our Way up Walter's Wiggles.

Posers.

There's no denying it.  Our kids love Zion as much as we do.

Just be cautious--it's a looooong way down!

This one invariably paves her own road.

A photo of where we are headed--straight along that spine to the tippy top.

The trail may look uncrowded, but in reality there were quite a few people on the last section with chains.  Even though it's inconvenient, I think it's a wise choice to begin requiring a permit.  If you get too many hikers squashed together, it simply becomes unsafe given the sheer exposure.

Made it to the top.

This cheeky chipmunk was our welcoming committee.  We did NOT feed it, but as soon as Annika put her hands down, it ran up to make sure she wasn't offering.

A few final shots before the trek back down.

Thank you so much, Peanut Butter, for making this happen.  I know it's never easy  to slip away from church and work--we so appreciate your making our family a priority.

That night we stayed at the Springhill Suites in St. George and attended our old ward for sacrament meeting.  It's amazing how much can change over eight years!  Here we are having breakfast at the hotel.

We may have been attending our former ward, but we were fortunate enough to link up and attend with the Blackhams from our current ward.

It makes me so happy to see our kids connect!

Together we toured Brigham Young's winter home...

...and went for a Sunday hike at Red Cliffs.  No explanation for Annika's behavior at the trailhead.  She's one of a kind.

In case a conehead isn't enough, this tarantula sure made the trail more interesting.  I was surprised by how gentle, elegant, and graceful it seemed as it slowly ambled  down the trail.  We didn't try to pet or touch it, but it seemed to like our shoes.

Wow, Ezra, you have a new friend!

Here's Hazel showing how large the tarantula she found as a six year-old hiking up City Creek.

Hiking is always more fun with friends.

Red Cliffs is amazing.  I was excited to learn that you can now make reservations at the campground instead of it being exclusively first-come first-serve.

Brian and Sonja, we can't thank you enough for hanging with us!  Your friendship means so much--we look forward to doing it again sometime.

Last but not least, dinner at the One Man Band.  Annika's Houdini-escapism from the dinner table is a constant battle.  If you have any suggestions, drop 'em in the comments section.

And there you have it!  Our weekend in Zion.  I just found out that in-person school isn't happening tomorrow due to Covid, so I'm thinking we just might play hooky and go back--soon.