Thirtydaycation: Chapter 2 - Southern Utah Rendezvous

Day ten of our Utah vacation found us leaving Sam and Heather's house in drizzling rain. We stopped in Orem to see my grandparents, and then we piled into the truck for the four hour drive to St. George. The next few days were spent adjusting to the intense southern Utah heat, spending time with family and friends, and enjoying the beauty of St. George. Max, Isla, and Wyatt were all reacquainted with their cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, and Max loved being able to run outside to play with Harley.

Wyatt loved getting to know his grandparents.

For most of the summer, Max has been fascinated with volcanoes and other natural phenomena, so when we told him there were volcanoes near St. George, he wanted to check them out. When I told him we could actually hike up these volcanoes, he was super excited. We woke up early one morning, before the sun's searing heat beat down upon the earth, and climbed the southern cone of the Santa Clara Volcano.

Our hike took us up the steep scoria encrusted slope and to the top of the volcano. Max, peering down into the cone's dusty center asked if we could hike down into it. I told him we could, and a few minutes later we were in the bottom. It was here that Max told me he had to use the bathroom. Since there was no one else around, I told him to make use of the nearest bush. I soon found out that that was not going to work. Max had to go number two. Knowing we were devoid of toilet paper, tissues, or even any vegetation substantial enough to get the job done, I quickly scanned my surroundings but found nothing but black lava rock. "Probably not going to work," I thought.

Our view of the Santa Clara Volcano.

I shouted up to Shayla, asking if there were any tissues in the truck. Nothing. Either Max would go in the bushes and just clean up when we got home, or we'd hightail it out of there as quickly as we could, hoping to avoid any sort of explosion while in the volcano's crater. Hightail it we did. I carried Max up the steep embankment and scanned the outer slope of the volcano to try and find the easiest and quickest way down. Shayla picked out a route, a line that pretty much went straight down, and Max and I began to pick our way down the hillside. It quickly became apparent that the loose layer of fragmented rock covering the side of the volcano was going to increase the difficulty of descent. We slid several inches with each step we took. I decided I only wanted to worry about my footing, and not have to focus on where Max was stepping as well, so I picked him up and carried him down on my back. I slid pretty much the entire way down. I'd take a step and let my feet slide a few feet until I came to a stop, and then take another step. We got down to the bottom pretty quickly, and minutes later we were back at Shayla's parents' house. Max made it to the bathroom without any trouble, avoiding a potential disaster.

The hike was fun, albeit quick and cut short. Max was quite disappointed when he realized we couldn't go right back and hike up the volcano again, but he did manage to sneak a few lava rocks home with him. 

During the next few days, Wyatt began taking little hikes of his own. He started crawling a couple months before our vacation began, and once we got to Utah he began walking along the edge of the couch, occasionally standing on his own, unsupported. At about this time in our vacation, he began taking a couple steps, and then one night, he just took off across the room. The grin on his face gave evidence of how excited he was to join the rest of the world's bipedal population!

Wyatt, learning how to walk.

This was also Wyatt's first trip to Utah, and not only was he meeting cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents for the first time, he was also meeting many of our friends as well. We took him out to Ivins—along with Max and Isla—to see a few family friends. We also got together with a bunch of Shayla's extended family for a pool/ice cream party at Sharla's house.

The day after the party, Max and I woke up early, loaded Harley and Lucky into the back of the truck, and picked up Steve as we headed out of town on our way to Boulder Mountain. Boulder has become a sort of irregular rendezvous for my brothers and I. It began in August/September 2008 and continued in October 2009 before we moved to Virginia. After our '09 trip, I wasn't sure when or if the camping trip would ever happen again. Three years later, we finally made it back. I was glad that my brothers were able to take the time to get together. Now that we live on the east coast, I miss being able to spend time with them, so getting together meant a lot. 

The road to Boulder.

Max, Steve, and I drove straight to Boulder Town. We made a quick stop to purchase a couple forgotten supplies and acquire a map, and then we met up with Sam, Kaden, and Spencer at the trailhead. (I have to thank Steve and Sam for nearly all of these Boulder Mountain photos. Thanks guys!)

Max made friends with a little kitten at the Burr Trail Outpost in Boulder, UT.

Our hike in was beautiful. The weather was great and the scenery was spectacular. Clouds loomed in the sky but the warm touch of the sun shone down on us for most of our hike. I filled a small backpack for Max to carry, but that didn't last too long. After about a quarter mile, Max ditched the pack, and Spencer and I took turns carrying it the rest of the way. I should have seen this as foreshadowing, because with about a quarter mile left to go, Max pretty much stopped carrying himself as well, and I had to pick him up and pack him in the rest of the way myself! Overall Max did pretty well though, especially considering the high altitude. This kid has spent nearly half his life living at around 300 feet above sea level, so I thought he handled hiking at nearly 10,000 feet pretty well.

It took us a little over two hours to hike in to Deer Creek Lake (if I recall correctly) and after a quick inspection of the immediate area we settled on a decent place to pitch our tents and set up camp. The clouds were thickening in the sky, so we also set up a couple tarps at the edge of a stand of trees to provide shelter in the event of rain. After we were satisfied with our camp we set off to the lake to fill up our water supply. After purifying as much lake water as our bags and bottles would hold, we hiked up a small hill to Green Lake.

Green Lake is easily one of my most favorite places in the world. The cold, crystal-clear waters expose bright green moss that grows below the surface. The moss undoubtedly is the namesake for this lake, and it's vivid hue provides dramatic contrast to the large grey boulders that hold in the waters.

Hiking up to Green Lake.

Max wanted to go for a swim, but I told him he couldn't get his clothes wet. Looks like he figured out a solution!

A rocky slope on the northwest edge of Green Lake.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at this lake, tossing sticks into the water for Lucky to retrieve. Harley wanted no part of the lake, but because of a cowpie infused mud bath earlier on the trail, I tossed him into the water a few times to wash him off.

Lucky loved playing in the water!

Green Lake

The inlet to Deer Creek Lake. This is where we filtered our drinking water.

Lucky found a great place to take in the view!

Light rain started falling after a while so we hiked back to camp before we got too wet. The rain never really was much of a threat. It would sprinkle for a little bit, and then move on and we'd have to shed our rain gear only for the rain to start back up a short while later. Much of the evening was like this.

After dinner, and as night began to fall, the rains began to really come down. Lightning flashed across the mountainside as thunder shook everything around us. We crawled into our tents, ready for a good nights sleep. Max had gone to bed an hour or so before I climbed in, and when I got into my sleeping bag he told me that he was too warm. I had packed his long, thick pajamas, and with the insulating nature of the sleeping bag it must've been a bit too much. I let him take off his pajamas and put on his much thinner and lighter ones, and he said he was much more comfortable.

We spent the next hour or so listening to the crash of the thunder and the pounding of the rain as it slapped the side of our tent. I love listening to thunderstorms while laying inside a tent, but Max was understandably a little frightened. I pulled his sleeping bag close to mine, hoping to calm his nerves a little. After a while, Max told me he was cold. The last thing I wanted to do was have Max suffer through a cold and frightful night, and I didn't feel like making him change pajamas again, so I asked him if he wanted to crawl into my sleeping bag with me. Of course, he did.

Let me just say that mummy bags are made for one person. Only one. Max fell right to sleep, but I found it a little more difficult. The tight constraints proved an effective barrier to comfort, and no matter which way I contorted my body, at least one part eventually succumbed to nerve-tingling numbness. After trying to fight it, I eventually just unzipped the sleeping bag, spilling out into Max's vacated space next to me. As my body hit the cold shell of Max's sleeping bag, I realized I had just found the solution to my problem. I unzipped Max's bag and spread it out over the top of me, and slept half inside my bag and half inside his. The solution worked, and I was soon asleep.

Morning came and the rain continued to fall. I peered outside the flaps of the tent and found that a dense fog had enveloped us during the night. Combined with the rain it made for a cold, wet morning. Sam, Kaden, and Spencer had originally planned to spend the day and pack up and hike out that evening, with Steve, Max, and myself planning to stay through to the next day. The dreary weather quickly changed those plans.

Breaking down camp.

After breakfast, and with no end to the rain or fog in sight we packed up our gear as the rains continued to fall. A short while later we were slogging our way down the muddy mountain. Fortunately, just as we had everything packed up and we started hiking out, the rains let up and we were able to hike with only the fog as a companion.

Hiking through the fog.

About half a mile into our hike, Max and I had fallen behind the others by ten or fifteen yards. Suddenly, I heard what sounded like a locomotive crashing through the forest just off to our right. Thunderous hooves stampeded across the ground and branches splintered and shattered in the fog. Our limited view left me to only guess what was causing the commotion. The day before, as we hiked in to Deer Creek Lake, we passed through a large herd of cattle, and I supposed that we had startled them in the fog and, not being able to see us as well, they spooked and steamrolled through the forest.

After the unseen pandemonium died off, Max and I caught up to the rest of our group. When we did, they were still talking about what they had seen from their point on the trail. A herd of elk had run across the trail about twenty feet in front of them. They were close enough to glimpse them through the fog, while Max and I had been far enough back that the herd was shrouded from view. Steve said there were probably between twenty and thirty elk, although with the fog it was difficult to know for sure.

Harley and Lucky surprisingly resisted the urge to chase the elk as the herd stampeded by, but once the forest settled a bit, the temptation became too strong and both dogs bolted off into the misty woods. Max was fearful that he had just seen his dog for the last time, and that Harley was sure to be swallowed up in the cold, gray fog. A minute later, however, both dogs came bounding back into view.

The rest of the hike down the mountain was less eventful. As we made our descent the rains continued to hold back, and soon we had climbed down underneath the fog. We made it to the vehicles with out a problem, and we drove down to Boulder Town for lunch at the Burr Trail Grill. An hour or so later, we split from Sam, Kaden, and Spence and we went our separate ways home.

Even though this camping trip was cut short and marred by cold rain, it was great to spend time with my brothers and I enjoyed every minute of it. Hopefully we will be able to continue this tradition in the coming years.