Escalante Part 2

Day 2 of our Escalante adventure began by driving 26 miles down the dirt "Hole in the Rock" road!

We pulled off the road at the Dry Fork Trailhead and headed out on our journey to see some of the most amazing slot canyons ever!

This was a fun day because some of our friends from our neighborhood had planned on going on this same hike on the same day as us, and so we met up and had double the fun!

(I love this picture where Clint so lovingly places both of his hands on my butt to boost me up the wall. ;) What a wonderful way to begin our adventure! :)  ;) ;)

After we all climbed up the initial wall to get into the slot canyon we immediately found ourselves surrounded by the most beautiful red rock walls that had been so carefully formed over years of erosion.

It was absolutely a work of art!

Sooo beautiful!

One thing I love about hiking in the canyons is how shaded it is and how much cooler it is than out in the open desert .

There were all kinds of twists and turns and fun tunnels to wind our way through...

...and places to sit down with little feet that would get tired and need a break. ;)

Once we were out of Peek a Boo slot canyon, we hiked out into the sun and headed towards the next slot canyon called Spooky slot canyon. This one is a little tighter, and I guess that makes it "spooky." ;)

Dallin found a little pet lizard, but the only reason why it didn't run away from him is because half of his tail was missing, and his leg was bleeding. I'm not sure what happened to the little guy, but Dallin still loved him!

It was also so fun having my little sister with us on the adventure! It's true when they say that having a sister is like having a life long best friend! 

She did amazing on this hike even after all of the surgeries and physical challenges that she has faced lately. I love her and am so happy we have each other. :)

At one point in the hike it actually did get a little spooky, when we had to lower ourselves down into a dark hole, turn around going backwards, and then find our way back out to the light!

I worried if I was going to feel scared because I am a little claustrophobic, but I was pleasantly surprised and happy with my brave self that that wasn't the case. :)

Colby was the biggest guy in our group and there were a couple of tight spots where he had to kneel down and squeeze through the widest part of the canyon, but he made it!

In one piece too! ;)

I love having these kinds of adventures with my sweetie.

He's such a fun and happy person to be around and I love it.

Thank you Clint for taking our family on these fun adventures!

We all love you soooo much!

And thank you to my friend and neighbor Lisa who showed us the ropes and where exactly to go for our first hike that day. It was fun to have you and your boys with our group!

Kesslyn loves Colby and they had a fun time together on the hike too.

They were both equally as glad to get back to the car when we were all done. ;)

But that is not where our adventure stopped!!

After we left the slot canyons, we decided to drive another 30ish miles down the extremely bumpy "Hole in the Rock" road to the very end of the road.

This picture does not do "bumpy" justice! It was actually more like a jeeping trail in some spots and we could only drive about 5 to 15 miles per hour.

I must say it was fun and quite the thrilling adventure as we all bounced around in the car in bobble-head-like fashion.

After a couple hours of driving, we finally arrived at the famous "Hole In the Rock!"

This is the place where Mormon Pioneers had literally carved out a portion of the mountain to get their 80 wagons, and 250 + horses, cattle, families, and other supplies 900 feet down the mountain and to the other side.

Today, when you get to the bottom you find a refreshing cove in Lake Powell where the kids all went to swim! But years ago when the pioneers did this, it was just dry ground.

I got this picture from Dallin because I forgot to bring my phone with me from the car, but trust me when I say it was GORGEOUS! The pictures just don't do it justice.

I hope to get more pictures from those who were with us, but for now, here is one final glimpse of the heaven we saw that day! As we drove the 3 hour drive back home, we saw the most beautiful sunset, a rainbow, mountain range, and most importantly...the cutest family ever...but most of that view was from the rear view mirror. ;)

We arrived home, ate a yummy dinner, and called it a night. We were exhausted, but so grateful for the amazing day, and the experiences that we got to share with our family. 

These are the things I think about in the Proclamation to the Family when they say "wholesome recreational activities." It was definitely a day we will always remember!