Bell's Canyon

Diane and I went for a hike up Bell's Canyon today. We left from the Little Cottonwood Canyon trailhead near our house and headed over to the lower reservoir. From there we found the trail and headed on up. It was a cool morning with cloud cover. We saw two deer right away. The trail ascends gradually. There was a footbridge over the stream which was roaring from the snowmelt. The further we went, the steeper the trail got. It paralleled the stream for the most part. Soon, the trail was strewn with boulders of various sizes. The last section was a steep uphill grind with boulder hopping. We crossed another stream and rounded the corner to see a magnificent waterfall. We then headed down and got to the car. It was a 2 1/2 hour trip. It was a good warm up hike for the upcoming season. 

A Side of Ribs

The part I left out about my hike down to Zion last week involved a slip and fall onto a rock(or rocks). I landed on my right flank and immediately realized that it may have been a mistake to go on a backpacking trip alone. I had stashed my backpack at my campsite and started on the hike to Kolob Arch. When I got to the end of the trail I found out that I could not get a very good view of the arch from where I was. Ignoring the "Travel beyond this point not recommended" sign, I went further, scrambling up and down over very rocky and steep terrain. The next thing I know, I am on my back. I get up and assess the damage and realize that I am going to have to get myself out of there. The shortcut I choose took me in a circle. I managed to get back to my campsite where hordes of black, biting flies descended upon me. My insect repellent was more like an attractant. I decided to keep walking while I could and headed in the direction of the trailhead, 6 miles away. Every time I would stop and thinking about staying for the night my ribs started hurting more so I just kept going. I got back to the trailhead after dark, about 9:30 and into a motel about 10:30. Ice packs became my friend for the next few days. Last week at work was pretty tough but I made it through. It only hurt when I moved or breathed so I tried to minimize that!  I have a trip back to Zion in two weeks and I am trying to decided if I should go or cancel. I am not going alone! I will take a couple of days to see how my healing goes. Another life lesson learned.

 

LaVerkin Creek

A short trip down to Zion's Kolob section. La Verkin Creek and Kolob Arch

Empty Nest Syndrome

I never thought I would be affected by the empty nest syndrome. It turns out that I am. This morning I opened the door to look in the nest where the finch chicks were to see if I could get a picture of them with their beaks up waiting for food. They were still asleep, all huddled together, warmly embracing each other. I took a picture anyway. I saw one beak visible.  Today being Mother's Day I made myself entirely at the disposal of Diane. For Mother's Day she said she wanted to go on a bike ride. We loaded the bikes and went to the Jordan River Parkway and did an out and back 18 miler. We stopped for lunch and then headed home. After putting the bikes away, I grabbed my camera and opened the door to look into the nest. I was stunned!  I had just seen the four chicks in there a few hours ago and now the nest was empty. I tried to tell myself that they flew off but I knew, and Diane confirmed in the bird book, that they were not ready to fly. Such are the trials of life. Now the big problem: What is Jamie going to tell her school kids, who had been following the pictures and the story?

Bird's Nest

Mary discovered a birds nest on our front door so we looked in and saw the babies and one egg. The next day all the babies were huddled together.

My sister, Mary is here for a visit. She came last Wednesday and then dropped off her spleen and pancreas at LDS Hospital last Thursday. She came home from the hospital on Sunday and has been recuperating here at our house. We see the doctor tomorrow and hope to get that all clear. She has been entertained by the workers putting in the sprinkler system, the cat, and the dogs. Also, she found a bird's nest on a wreath on our front door and when we looked in there were three babies and an egg yet to hatch.