Waterfall Canyon Trail

A view of Mount Ogden from somewhere up an unnamed riverbed about 2 miles into the canyon.

Gabriella took this picture from the rock I told her to wait at while I helped Samuel across the river.

I suggested they touch the water to see how cold it was. Of course, they were so excited they put their feet in it too.

Chrissee acted as our "guide" and "scout" on the trail. Sometimes, I think she couldn't believe there were MORE rocks in the "road".

This was at our very first river crossing... little did we know that every crossing thereafter would NOT have a bridge.

Today was one of those Sundays, when I knew I would need some time on the mountain. I was hoping for some "mountain of the Lord" sort of time for personal reasons. But, James was facing homework and deadlines, so I loaded up a backpack with sandwiches, water, and diapers and asked Chrissee to join us. I was hoping the strength of the mountain would be of benefit in kicking my backside if not in healing my heart. We headed up to our nearby Mt. Ogden planning to hike to Waterfall Canyon. So, there we were, facing a poorly marked trail with toddlers and an adventurous attitude. Onward, ho! We climbed rocks and steep gradients and lifted little ones across the river (several times). We wondered at the beauty and the rock formations almost as often as we wondered what would happen if we were to become lost or injured on this arduous and out-of-the-way trail. We began our hike at nine in the morning and I told Chrissee that if we didn't reach the "real" trail by noon, we would just turn around and go back the way we came. We didn't hike quite that long because at a little after 11am, we ran into some rocks that we couldn't go over safely with the toddlers. We reached our "end o' the trail" even if it wasn't official to anyone else and stopped for lunch before turning back down the way we came. I am amazed at the stamina and sense of adventure everyone had throughout. There were a few minor bumps and bruises sustained, but, thankfully nothing major. For my own part, the object lesson of the rocky road "less traveled" was obvious - you'll never know a more thrilling adventure, but you MUST endure it until the end to know for sure.

A bonus to this was reading a topographical map of the area today and realizing that WE HIKED WATERFALL CANYON. We hiked a little over 4miles and up to about 6000 feet. That feels great!