Capitol Reef National Park

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." - -- Henry David Thoreau

Entering Kolob Canyon.

Trying out the macro on my shoeprint.

My hand in sand.

The sandstone right here is peeling away from the wall and looks like bark stripping away from the tree trunk...kind of cool looking with the light piercing through the dark canyon onto it.

Some good old friends.

These slot canyons were really cool. You're pretty much all alone and can enjoy the natural belleza of climbing in silence.

Micah getting ready to do the spread eagle maneuver.

This is a little cave that opens up into a big room inside

Right after this picture leah did a swan dive off those rocks and caught herself safely with her knee cap! ouch!

The hidden secrets of Capitol Reef...Hiking Kolob Canyon.

This is just outside the campground we stayed at...there was not a cloud in the sky that day.

The sun sets on the park.

Right in the very center of this arch is where I scrambled to and it was a little scary on the way back. I had to climb out on the edge of the arch and I was pretty high up there. So fun though.

The Subway Zion Nat. Park

I took a little trip to Zion over the weekend to a place called the Subway. I believe it was a memory that will last forever. This hike was a lot of fun despite the lack of Z's I'd had this week. It's sad that we have to spend so much time worrying about every fine detail of our lives at school and work when we could all live in simplicity. Perhaps we all think that the more we complicate our lives the more we are accomplishing. I guess the best thing taken from this last week is that of being content in simplicity. More people should leave babylon and wander into the wilderness, it's a lot less lone and dreary than civilization these days, try it out! Enjoy the Pics.

P.S. that's not snow. That would be rock. (some people think it's snow)

A few hippies that I hiked with from St. George.
Cool little canyon that was carved out by mother nature.

This section of the hike is awesome. You hike down through this valley onto some cliffs below which are followed by a few scrambles.
This part would be so cool on my new bike!

Shawn Barker is laying out in the sun trying to get warm after a couple swims in 40 degree water in the shade of the canyon. It took about ten minutes in the sun before we could think clearly after the swims in the canyon. We didn't get any photos of the swimming sections because all of our stuff were locked up in dry sacks. Sadly when we arrived to this point we thought we wouldn't have to get to wet again but right in the shadows of the above phote is another waterfall and wade.

There is a small repel here into the most famous part of the subway. The water is a beautiful shade of jade. the tunnel is so like a subway it looks artificial.

It was actually a beautiful day during the hike, but not much light enters the subway exceps at the exit.