Capitol Reef

Emmy went to 2 days of school after Fall Break before we pulled her out again so we could go to Capitol Reef with Brett’s parents and brother. 

We stayed at a campground about 15 minutes outside the park because it was easier to get a reservation and they’d really liked it last time they stayed there.  Other than the 3 trailers in our group (their friends came, too), we had the campground to ourselves most of the time.  It was really pretty to camp right by red cliffs and a stream.  We had fun hiking around the campground when we weren’t in the park.

In the park, the kids LOVED watching the deer and feeding them apples from the ground.  We also picked and ate our fair share of apples, too.  They are so yummy right off the trees!

 We hiked up to Cohab Canyon which starts as switchbacks.  I was a little nervous about Abby because she does not have the same stamina and excitement about hiking as her sister.  She surprised me!  She hiked the entire way and didn’t complain much. Here she is hiking down with Nana.

 Brett loves critters, so he was trying to catch a lizard from the beginning of the hike.  Abby was delighted when he was successful (as you can see from her face).

 A close up of our little friend.

Unfortunately, Emmy was our turbo hiker (we had one adult assigned to stay with her because she would just GO), so she didn't get to see the lizard.

Aaron had fun getting dirty!  He really enjoyed playing in the sand anytime we'd get him out of the hiking backpack.  The sand was definitely a favorite for the girls, too.  We'd just stop on the side of the trail and let them go to town for 15-20 minutes.  The sand and the slot canyons were the main reasons we chose the Cohab Canyon hike.

 Aaron was cracking us up when he was trying to lift up this rock.  He'd get on his knees, put his hands around it and then grunt like crazy.  "Uuugh, uugh"

 On Friday we hiked to the Chimney Rock outlook.  Beautiful views!  The lookout actually looks down on Chimney Rock, so you can imagine how high we got.

 After the Chimney Rock hike, we walked across the road and followed a dry creek bed to a super fun rock formation that was just made for scrambling. 

Brett meditating.

 Emmy climbing on TOP

 Abby safely on the ground with her favorite "table rock" that she would use to make sand food.  Nana's friend Sherry was trying to win over Abby the whole trip (her granddaughters live far away) and I think spending time making rock and sand dinners with her did the trick. 

 Abby was super excited to roast her first s'more!  She's saying, "I'm roasting my first s'more" in a sing-songy voice in this picture.

 It was perfect hiking weather during the day, but it got VERY chilly when the sun went down.  Nana, Papa, and Nate slept in their friend's trailer so we could fit our whole family in their trailer.  (Yes, we need to get our own trailer before we do this again.)  Even in the trailer, we couldn't run to heat all night because it would run down the battery, so we dressed warmly to sleep.  It thought my kids in their hats looked pretty cute!  We didn't sleep great (Abby fell out of bed a couple of times, Aaron woke up in the night, and I worried the kids were too cold) but it was so much better than a tent!

 On our last morning, we took a hike from our campground.  Since we were on the west side of the cliffs, the sun hadn't come up yet, and it was still COLD.  Emmy was excited to hold up a piece of ice.

 I think Emmy would spend everyday hiking, climbing, and exploring if she could.  She just loves every part of it!

This trip was just the right length for our little family, and I was pleased with how well everyone did.  We sure enjoyed getting to spend the time with Nana, Papa, and Nate!