HIKING/TRAVEL/FAMILY

The Longest Hike Ever

What you can do when you can’t see what’s ahead

Before the kids, my husband and I didn’t think twice about going for long hikes. We made a day of it.

I enjoy the sweat and feeling pushed to conquer my fears. It’s strangely exhilarating.

I’ve never been one for heights. But when you are faced with rung-climbing along steep trails, there is a real sense of accomplishment after you do it.

With our two kids, it has been important to find adventures we can all do as a family. This summer we spent a few days in Zion National Park in Utah.

Little did I know our “1-mile” hike would be my favorite longest trail yet.

How It Started

The day began with a hearty breakfast. It was our first full day in the park. We splurged for the buffet with pancakes, sausage, eggs, and fruit. My kids were thrilled to see Lucky Charms cereal, especially since they never get it at home.

After filling our bellies, we stopped at the room to use the restroom and gather our supplies. I filled my bag with everyone’s water bottles and made sure the kids grabbed their hats.

It was a hot one already.

Temperatures were creeping up into the 80’s at 9 a.m. The rangers weren’t kidding about getting out on the trails early in the morning before the heat got too intense.

The Emerald Pools Trailhead was within easy walking distance from the park lodge where we were staying.

Looking at the map, it looked like all we had to do was cross the bridge over a beautiful river.

You could go left or go right.

It looked like far fewer people were to the left, so that’s the direction we chose. Little did I know we would turn a corner and be headed up quite an incline.

We crossed paths with some other hikers coming down.

I remember a woman looking at my kids and commenting on how impressed she was they could hike so far.

I found it odd at first. One mile, really?

That didn’t seem far for kids their age. But her encouragement was kind, nonetheless.

What I didn’t know at the time was we were at the end of the 3-mile hike. If we wanted to do only 1 mile we should have turned right for the lower falls at the start of the trail.

It was good my kids had no idea at the time.

The Views

Walking up the steep incline was well worth it. Even with carrying kids and taking more water breaks, I was happy we did it. Up higher is where you could witness all the beauty.

Everywhere there were mountains and amazing photos to take.

The vegetation in Zion is so vast. There are 1,000 species of plants in the park. You can see everything from boulders to cactus to evergreens.

I couldn’t get over the mix of colors in the mountains as well. Looking at the landscape, there are so many variations of color. There is white, orange, variations of red, and even some green.

You can understand why so many photographers enjoy taking pictures in our National Parks.

The views are some of the best in the country.

Fun in Water

For families visiting Zion, I can’t say August would be at the top of the list of when to go. The heat is too intense if you want to spend most of your days hiking.

Thankfully, what saved us on this trail was small water holes along the way. The kids would take their shoes off and stand in the water to cool off.

We saw interesting bugs and schools of tadpoles. It’s amazing the animals you discover when you slow down and take some time to look around.

But don’t drink the water!

There were signs all over about not drinking the water due to a toxic algae bloom.

Luckily we always bring our own water on hikes, but it was a good reminder to others not familiar with algae blooms and the dangers to your health if you drink it.

Tough Kids

As we got a little further along the trail, we saw a sign for the Upper Falls. It was an even steeper incline straight up with massive rocks you had to climb over.

It was .3 miles, so not too far, but the hike would be a little more strenuous.

We asked the kids what they thought, and to our surprise, they wanted to do it.

I was sure with the heat and how far we had walked already, they would want to skip it, but instead, they were excited to go.

Stepping over multiple rocks was a workout. I think the kids saw it as a challenge. They love watching Ninja challenges on TV, and to them, this was another ninja challenge in the great outdoors.

Finally, after holding hands, lifting kids, and climbing up steep parts, we found ourselves at the Upper Falls.

It was cool with shade all around. Several people were relaxing and sitting on the boulders talking. We took our time lounging, and then after about 30 minutes decided to get hiking once again.

We Made It

After getting back down from the Upper Falls, the remaining stretch of the trail was all downhill.

At that point, the trail was a little busier. There were times we had to slow down as others needed a little more time to climb.

As I would meet the eyes of other parents with small kids, there was an instant camaraderie knowing how hard it is to keep everyone happy on this more challenging hike.

Once I saw the river and the bridge in site, I knew we were close to finishing the loop from where we started.

When we made it to the bridge, I did a little celebratory dance. I grabbed my kids’ hands and spun them around. We did some cheers, and I told them how proud I was for making it to the end.

When you can physically and mentally push through something hard and make it to the other side, it’s a great feeling.

After taking the majority of the morning to finish the trail, we took it easy the rest of the day.

If I were to do it again, I would wait until my kids were a little bit older and go in the fall when the temperatures aren’t quite as intense. Zion National Park is a gorgeous destination to explore.

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