For a kid with one leg, Nicolai hasn’t the slightest difficulty or least bit of fear in leaping from one stone perch to another.

Our afternoon destination is the Devil’s Garden where the kids, now quite well versed in scaling sandstone walls, find a playground made of stone.

The boys who are often reluctant to pose for me, were quite happy to let me capture this moment. I do believe this would make a nice poster.

 
This feels a lot like our holiday card photo for the year and for those of our friends and family who follow this blog you now know the story behind it.

By now you might be wondering what would possess a sane person to make this journey across the desert, through foul water, over a dead cow, and up and down the walls of a 30 foot deep slot canyon. If you enjoy venturing to the most beautiful natural places in the world this photograph should begin to help you understand.

 
Even Maya was not skinny enough to avoid having to climb up the walls to move forward. Kyle once again looks after the safety of his little sister. All of us had to help each other at various times and I was inspired by the teamwork the family demonstrated in order to get everyone in and out of the canyon.

 
The slot narrows considerably as we advance. In many places you must chimney up the sides because the base is too narrow for even a single foot or to create enough clearance for your body to slip through.

 
Kyle was good enough to go back for his sister and ferry her across the water which would have reached much higher on her short little body. Maya please remember to thank your brother again should you read this some number of years from now.

The rest of us had to walk through the thigh deep stagnant, slimy, stinky, and suprisingly cold water. Jeanine was way outside her comfort zone but mustered the conviction to forge on. What a trooper. The boys had advanced deeper into the canyon and were reporting a dead cow just ahead. I managed to convince Jeanine and Maya that the boys were just trying to scare them. Meanwhile I threatened to throttle the boys if they uttered another word. They had in fact discovered the skull of a cow next to a suspiciously cow like mound of debris. I saw little value in sharing this news with their mother until after she had traversed the water obstacle.

Recent rains left portions of the narrow canyon filled with water. Nicolai enjoys a unique advantage in overcoming this obstacle.

When we arrive at the entrance to the slot canyon, Kyle decides to lighten the load by emptying his sneakers of sand.

Since we were following a river wash, the elevation change was minimal, but the last quarter of a mile was through deep sand, which takes a significant amount of energy to traverse.

 
Today we ventured far off the beaten path and did a 5 mile hike to a seldom visited slot canyon. We left early in the day to avoid risk of rain the chances of which increased into the afternoon.

 
The last portion of the trail is a very steep climb and takes you past some of the largest hoodoos. The kids seemed to enjoy the day immensely and I was thrilled that they appeared to fully appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of this very special place. Our next waypoint is the Escalante Petrified Forest State Park where we will spend the evening.

As we began to climb out of the canyon, Maya became exhausted. Kyle offered to carry her and did so for quite a long distance in addition to his water-laden pack . What a beast!

Attention soon turned to a ground-based rock arch, which took more than a little effort to perfect.

As the kids complete their carin construction, Jeanine spots this interesting-looking bird, which seems confused by the appearance of large rocks in her tree.

 
Demonstrating excellent teamwork, Maya delivers stones to Kyle. He jumps and hands them off to Nicolai who stacks them on a sturdy branch.

 
Naturally, our children decide that they will contribute a carin of their own and that it should be higher in a tree than any other.

 
As we transition from the Queen’s Garden to the Navajo Trail we encounter a garden of rock carins spread everywhere across the ground and even up into the trees.

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When we reach the floor of the canyon we find a nicely shaded seating area where Jeanine and I are moved to share a kiss. One child captures the moment, another looks on with curiosity and the last flashes a look of disgust. Presumably these same children understand that if not for such activities they would not even be here.

The one constant here is change, if observable on a large time scale only. Old hoodoos gradually disintegrate as new ones are formed.

 
To walk among these amazing geologic structures is very exciting. They range in size from a couple of feet tall up to several hundred feet tall. Some are short and squat, other are skinny and tall seemingly poised to topple at any moment. During a ranger presentation I learned that no one has ever been killed by falling rock on this trail although massive boulders have fallen right on the path from time to time.

Next we take the Queen’s Garden Trail and descend among the hoodoos.

We are the first visitors to arrive at Inspiration Point, and our reward is golden light and total solitude. This remains one of the most beautiful vistas I have ever seen, and it was a joy to share it with the family for the first time.

On the 30-minute drive to Bryce early this morning we encountered a family of mule deer, including this baby boy.

As we are departing Zion, Jeanine spots some long-horn sheep, and I was fortunate to get close enough for a decent shot. We will spend the night in Hatch, UT at an RV park and continue early tomorrow morning to Bryce.

 
After a quick lunch at the Zion Lodge we board the shuttle bus and finish with a visit to the Sinawava Temple where I coax Kyle into posing for me in front of the Altar and Pulpit with the Virgin River in the foreground.

 
Although we did not reach the top of Angel’s Landing it was a rewarding climb and a great way to start our National Park adventure. If you enlarge the photo you will see Nicolai on the right hand side as he flies down the trail.

Jeanine is pleased when I return with all three children, and we rest for a while before beginning the long descent.

After reaching the next lookout, we pause for a photo and I begin to rethink the wisdom of finishing the trail which continues along the spine of the rock fin pictured behind us. At one point the trail narrows to three feet wide with an 800 foot sheer drop off on one side and a 1200 foot drop off on the other. This is the exact scenario which triggers my worst vertigo and I have learned on this climb that the intense fear is also triggered when I see one of my children in a precarious position. Despite the fact that Nicolai has been on hands and knee since the chains began he stands ready to complete the trail as does Maya who is entirely fearless and part Billy goat. Although Kyle inherited my fear of heights he also wants to reach the top. Ultimately, I enforce a decision to stop here. Thousands of people complete this trail each month but I know I will be paralyzed by my vertigo and I cannot allow the kids to continue without me. I hate having this limitation but must accept it and be thankful for the many other gifts I have.