At last! A post that's not exclusively about Annika. Life must be moving on.
On October 10th, our family hopped in the mini-van and hustled down to Southern Utah with hopes of securing a permit for the Subway. Wouldn't you know, the office stopped issuing permits five minutes before we arrived due to a rain squall. We were disappointed, but recognized the importance of putting safety first. Even a little rain can cause dramatic flooding in the narrow slot canyons.
To console ourselves, we headed to Oscar's Cafe for dinner.
Bonding with the tortoise as we wait for a table.
Fortunately for us, the rain subsided and we were able to secure our Subway permit the next morning. The only downside is that the process took time, meaning that we didn't get started on our 9.5 mile journey until after ten. We likely were the last group to head down the canyon since we didn't run into any other hikers until the very end.
Zion makes my heart happy! 
Thankfully Zion made Annika's heart happy too. In retrospect we are all so grateful that we didn't learn about her heart conditions while in the backcountry.
Parts of the hike feel like you've stumbled onto the Wave.
So sassy!
While trying to navigate down to the canyon floor, we took a wrong turn. I'm glad we didn't have to rappel from here! Our rope might not have been long enough.
We retraced our steps through the colorful autumn leaves and found some cairns leading to the correct descent.
Rappel number one. You could either descend the rock face or wiggle through a rabbit hole into the mucky water. At first Annika wanted to go through the rabbit hole and swim, but she backed out at the last minute and used the rope instead. She continued to be really reticent about getting in the water until Jason finally dropped her in. She shrieked for a moment, then broke into a giant smile. From then on, she was the first from our group to jump into the pools.
Part of the reason our swims were enjoyable was because of the wetsuits. Unless you are doing the Subway in the heat of summer, I highly recommend the extra warmth! Another perk--they're quite buoyant.
This pool was the perfect place to look for tadpoles and catch dragonflies.
Farther down the canyon, the water became crystal clear. 10/10 teens find this hike highly entertaining.
Brooklyn, you look more befuddled than amused!
Also, if you embark on the Subway, make sure you have dry bags for your gear.
Canyon glow.
Setting up for rappel number two--right down a waterfall! Getting started around the boulder was a little awkward, but we all made it.
Eli and Brooklyn climbing out a keyhole. These kids are rockstars!
The last rappel was the longest. The older kids tackled it like pros.
As for Annika, even though this rappel was less challenging than what she'd done at Yankee Doodle, she really struggled. She was terrified, even when Jason had control of the rope and was lowering her. It took about 30 minutes of coaxing, but she finally went down. A good thing too! At this point, there is no way out of the canyon but down. It would have been a very cold night stuck on that ledge.
A happy mom, now that all her children are safely through the last rappel.
Once Annika made it through the rappel, she was happy and chipper, talking about how this was the best hike she'd ever been on and how she wanted to do it again. I rather agree. The Subway is as phenomenal as its reputation.
The iconic log that you see in many Subway photos.
After years of dreaming, I can't believe we actually made it. The Subway was worth the wait. I'm so glad we could experience it as an entire family.
Following the iconic portion of the hike, we found a sunny section of the canyon where we could warm up, eat lunch, and doodle in the sand.
While lunch was our typical hiking sustenance (cheese, crackers, summer sausage, and apples), the setting was phenomenal.
At this point, Jason broke off from our group to jog ahead. Since we only had one vehicle, we'd hidden his bike at the lower trailhead. Already mid-afternoon, we knew he needed to hustle if he was going to make it out of the canyon and bike back to get the minivan before night fall.
Good news! Our zippy Padre made it out and his bike was still there.
He even made a new friend along the way!
While certainly a climb, the ride to get the minivan was beautiful in the evening light.
Reunited with Omy, may she Rest in Peace. (That's a story for another day.)
Meanwhile, the rest of the crew took the hike at a more leisurely pace. While not technical, the canyon was still challenging to navigate. You either crossed the stream dozens of time as the path crisscrossed from side to side or waded right through the middle. Here's Annika fording through, with a baggie of poop in hand. Good stewards of the park, we left no trace! However, the family rule is also that you carry your own waste.
I love to see the canyon aglow with afternoon light. It feels like God's sending down his warmth and light.
Speaking of blessings, I dropped my cell phone while we were hiking out and didn't realize it. While most of the time I was at the rear of the group making sure everyone made it out, Talia had stopped for the restroom and happened to be behind. The canyon was wide in this area with many different spurs, but Talia picked the same route and found my phone. If she hadn't noticed it, I don't know if we ever would have found it. With limited daylight, I doubt we could have spent much time retracing my steps to search.
And so, with grateful hearts we started our climb up out of the canyon. By the time we finished the steep ascent, it was dark enough to need our flashlights, and by the time Jason met up with us for the final quarter mile, it was pitch black. What an adventure! Driving back to Salt Lake that night, we felt thankful for the beautiful canyon and our safe journey. Looking back now, we feel even more grateful for divine protection and the special memories.
While we love public transit, this is our kind of Subway.
