Descent into Kolob Canyon

On Saturday we hiked 4 miles in 6 hours on the La Verkin Trail in Zion National Park. We had never been to this part of the park before and it was stunning.

Before the hike we woke up Saturday morning in a Conestoga wagon at Zion Ponderosa Ranch. The last time we were at this ranch we only had two kids! We arrived at almost midnight the night before and so Ammon and Clarissa woke up not knowing where they were. When they discovered they were in a wagon, they could hardly contain their excitement.

I was worried about how I was going to backpack on a sprained ankle.
In front of our wagon.
Breakfast at Mel’s. We ate here the last time we were in Zion too. We love their crepes.
Getting ready to descend into Kolob Canyon to backpack the La Verkin trail.
Gorgeous Kolob Canyon.
This boy carried almost his weight in his pack for three hours until we realized our mistake. He cried a lot and I feel so bad that he had to go through that! But as soon as we fixed his backpack and made it an appropriate weight, he cheered up and was a trooper the rest of the trip.
Working hard.
I love her smile.
I really should have touched up these photos because the color is just drained out in the picture. In real life the canyon was stunning colors at all times. It was just incredible. The camera (or my lack of skills) just couldn’t do it justice.
Abe carried a super heavy pack…and Clarissa!
Tired after hours of hiking.
Pretending to sleep while standing. Lydia should have gotten a gold star for attitude on this hike. She cheered everyone on and pushed forward the whole time without asking anyone to lighten her load. She played games with Clarissa to keep her entertained and distracted from the pain of hiking. And she kept her sense of humor the entire time, even when the hiking was rough.
Ammon made a toy of his water bottle and a stick.
Just when the kids had given up hope of ever reaching our campsite, we discovered it! We all could not wait to just collapse in our tent, but in the meantime the kids played games, made up dances, and sang a ton. It was so beautiful to see them so happy after they had worked so hard all day. We also enjoyed an absolutely delicious tuna noodle casserole dinner.