Adams Family Hike

This is the beginning of the hike when we are all still excited to be going!

Still happy.

We went the wrong way at one point and ended up in this beautiful little area next to the river where the kids could play on the logs and run around a bit.




There's nothing like climbing on a log in the middle of the stream!

On Saturday, Alan and I decided it would be fun to take everyone on a hike. After looking online for one that would suit our pampered feet, we picked Adam's Canyon. The reviews said it was a family hike that would take about two hours with a waterfall at the top! We were jazzed. We started at 11:30am and the switchbacks at the beginning were tough.
We were climbing a mountain though and assumed it would level off at some point to give us a break. Not so much. As we climbed higher and higher the song "Climb Every Mountain" kept running through my mind and I felt like the Von Trapps crossing the Swiss Alps. Thankfully we were not being pursued by Nazi's. And frankly, I don't think that knowledge would have helped us move any quicker. Alan and I tried to stay positive for the kids as exhaustion turned into bewilderment because we weren't getting any closer to the top. We would ask people coming down how much farther and they would just look at us with pity in their eyes and say your not even half way there yet.
At one point the trail became so verticle that Sarah just stopped and started crying that she was never going to be able to get back down. We felt so bad. When we finally reached the "bridge" to cross the river I am pretty sure we became the Grizwalds. We were going to the top and everyone was going to have fun no matter what! The bridge to cross consisted of logs layed across the water with boards nailed to it every so often. Then at one point 3/4 of the way across the bridge just ends and you have to make your way on slimey logs and hope you don't fall in. The water wasn't deep but very cold and lots of rocks to hurt you.

It just kept getting steeper and steeper.

and steeper yet.

Sarah is so done. She was not happy about having to climb back down what we just came up. Going down was much better though.

We climbed higher and higher and at one point the trail goes completely verticle. We scaled the rocks and the roots sticking out to get to the next level. And we still weren't there yet! By the time we reached the top it was anticlimatic and the boys were just excited to stop and get to throw rocks in the water. Our fun family hike ended at 4:30 in the after noon. Whatever the phase beyond exhaustion is, we were about three phases beyond that. Somewhere between pioneer crossing the plains and death! On the upside, my butt looks better sooooooo.........

The end!