tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17968601971252465942024-02-19T06:14:19.040-08:00PigburnerRick Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15215750612315646870noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796860197125246594.post-61295610106652217122013-09-21T21:20:00.000-07:002018-11-11T16:42:23.613-08:00My Happy Place<div style="text-align: justify;">
Here is a post I made on the Washington Flyfishing board in response to a request to describe my favorite "secret place" among the 100 streams in Washington that I have caught fish in - not asking for a location, just a description. Here is what I posted.</div>
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As we all know, no place is really secret. But I'm sure we all have a happy place or two we return to again and again, both in mind and body. That place where your heart starts beating faster as you round the last bend or crest the hill and you sigh with relief when you see the empty pullout and know you'll have it all to yourself. Here is one of mine.<br />
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From the parking area, you look down onto a small stream in a desert canyon, sagebrush hills rising steeply on either side, the crystal clear water slipping over the rounded basalt and falling into deep pools. Upstream of these swimming holes, the little stream flows gently through the overhanging brush and that awful grass, whose leaning stems by summer's end almost touch at the midpoint of the stream, leaving a tiny strip of open water where you must carefully and accurately lay your fly. The scent of mock orange fills the canyon with a heavy sweetness in the stillness of the hot, summer evening. Approaching the first opening in the grass and brush, you look down through the clear water to the moss-covered rocks below. You don't see any fish, but you know they are there; they always are.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJ0j6bwBmZziWcy9lO-zHKyShRgjyggubkz4S2844cFsqPxQlAcIekoA_uLJSePaP0ODGSrmgS7Wgg0iX2_yQQMOv3t_XYcYLjsi_tB2wzwfCA7bGHC1BDffIh5mVDU7ktGXI-15vmsPi/s1600/20030704+The+Creek+04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJ0j6bwBmZziWcy9lO-zHKyShRgjyggubkz4S2844cFsqPxQlAcIekoA_uLJSePaP0ODGSrmgS7Wgg0iX2_yQQMOv3t_XYcYLjsi_tB2wzwfCA7bGHC1BDffIh5mVDU7ktGXI-15vmsPi/s320/20030704+The+Creek+04.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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A little flip of the 3-wt, and the renegade (the only fly to use on this stream) drops at the edge of the current. In an instant, the white hackle disappears in a splash and you bring to hand an 8-inch redband, the parr marks covered by the deep pink stripe down the side. Once, twice, several times more the action is repeated until there are no more takers. Finally you slip into the water, its coolness a relief from the heat of the evening. You turn upstream, and work your way from one pool to the next through a seemingly unending supply of branches, grass, moss covered boulders, and of course, willing fish. None are too large; if one stretches to a foot it is a trophy here, but they are healthy, colorful fish, often with bellies bulging with summer's bounty.</div>
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All too soon, the sun is gone and it's getting dark, but that next pool is too enticing; just one more fish, again and again, until at last, you realize you are fishing by feel, not sight. With a sigh, you hook the remnants of another renegade onto the loop on your rod and carefully climb up to the trail for a twilight walk back to the car, reminding yourself once again that you ought to bring a headlamp next time...</div>
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That's one of my happy places to share. Hope it makes you think of one of yours.Rick Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15215750612315646870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796860197125246594.post-3741700337268831372012-11-03T13:52:00.000-07:002013-10-13T13:57:20.214-07:00Applesauce!I spent a few hours this week canning applesauce, something I used to do with my brother Rob every year, but I haven't done it since the local grocery store had a special on 48-oz. bottles for $1 each and I bought a shopping cart full. Commercial applesauce can be good, but I still like homemade better, so I decided it was time to fill a shelf again. I was planning on picking up some apples while visiting my parents in Wenatchee, but after calling my dad found he had a tree full of Golden Delicious he had been trying to give away. We picked about 100 pounds, which I figured would get me close to my 40-quart target. <br />
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I figured I'd share a brief pictorial description of how I make applesauce. I find it takes about one hour per batch of seven quarts if you have someone who will cut and load the apples while you load the jars for processing. If you are doing it solo, add about 10 to 15 minutes more per batch.<br />
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First, equipment.<br />
<ol>
<li>Large pot for cooking the apples. I find my pressure canner is the perfect size, cooking enough apples for seven quarts of sauce when it is filled to the top.</li>
<li>Victorio Food Strainer (or similar device). This thing is great, cranking out seven quarts of sauce in about five minutes, much better than the old handheld strainers.</li>
<li>A 9" x 13" glass pan for catching the sauce. This fits right under the outlet spout of the Victorio and holds sauce from one hopper full of apples.</li>
<li>Large stainless steel bowl for accumulating the sauce, should be able to hold seven quarts of applesauce.</li>
<li>Canner (I use a steam canner rather than the traditional boiling water bath).</li>
<li>Miscellaneous supplies and tools - cutting board, knife, canning jar funnel, 2 cup glass measuring cup, jars, rags, lids and rings, teapot, etc.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUoPfZjQhFM9bD5D4-PF8ZGQNFuPjU3I0DR0m2Ngee7_15ddsL1luaiE_sFTtlFeCWQ4sv5z2Nrjd3eKD4tNPbPFNT7XAiC24QERTpv3Ns2rWkROdRbQIjFlm2h3lvd92-KGrLDvfUNb2_/s1600/0+Tools+and+Supplies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUoPfZjQhFM9bD5D4-PF8ZGQNFuPjU3I0DR0m2Ngee7_15ddsL1luaiE_sFTtlFeCWQ4sv5z2Nrjd3eKD4tNPbPFNT7XAiC24QERTpv3Ns2rWkROdRbQIjFlm2h3lvd92-KGrLDvfUNb2_/s400/0+Tools+and+Supplies.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tools and supplies for making applesauce</td></tr>
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Get all the equipment together, fill the canner and teapot with water and get them heating. Wash the jars and rings, set the rings and lids in a pan ready to cover with boiling water, yup, all the normal canning stuff.<br />
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I start by filling my sink up with apples and cold water, letting them soak for a few minutes to soften any crud on them (a.k.a., bird poop); then with a clean kitchen brush I give them a quick scrub under running water, especially around the stem, and pile them on the counter. Wash enough to fill the pressure canner to the top. Add about 12 cups water to the pressure canner, then quarter the apples and fill the pot all the way to the top. Leave stems, seeds, core, everything else. Just cut out any bad spots.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgc9UEhLKhDnDiExJmqWuySAu_v-JlMTF9ZP5IXlT-rBrcZb5MA_i4MI3nupnzG8jJ6CKO86u7SfmHfCi9pZ-pa2oKkcnld4QMnBfqUyOTpPekjuFMwFqq9Fc6vk02phTB2ULBhuhQOkuk/s1600/1+Wash+and+Cut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgc9UEhLKhDnDiExJmqWuySAu_v-JlMTF9ZP5IXlT-rBrcZb5MA_i4MI3nupnzG8jJ6CKO86u7SfmHfCi9pZ-pa2oKkcnld4QMnBfqUyOTpPekjuFMwFqq9Fc6vk02phTB2ULBhuhQOkuk/s400/1+Wash+and+Cut.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wash and cut in quarters; don't core</td></tr>
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Put the pot on the stove, cover <u><strong>loosely</strong></u> with the lid, and cook on high until it is steaming a lot, then lower to medium. Cook until the apples are soft. It takes about 50 minutes to an hour for the first batch, then about 35 for 40 minutes for each subsequent batch. While the apples are cooking, wash the apples for the next batch.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vXRXosh6hmOZFqt5PoTIL9oMd8GyF8dFFMjUwNQAdZFmJfQT4nBvX2fUhBa_qV-jObrFHMsDre8UimVoRF3uUzKs-S27GtmJZRD07GhPquGzz9rAR8_wDLk4Gjzv2xRuslQVpkQ7qlAP/s1600/2+Cook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vXRXosh6hmOZFqt5PoTIL9oMd8GyF8dFFMjUwNQAdZFmJfQT4nBvX2fUhBa_qV-jObrFHMsDre8UimVoRF3uUzKs-S27GtmJZRD07GhPquGzz9rAR8_wDLk4Gjzv2xRuslQVpkQ7qlAP/s400/2+Cook.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pressure canner is the perfect size for cooking; don't tighten the lid!</td></tr>
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Remove the pot of apples from the stove and move to the processing area (put it on a wood cutting board if needed to protect the counter. Using a mesh kitchen strainer or colander, scoop the apples out of the pot and into the Victorio strainer hopper. Allow some water to drain as needed to get the consistency of applesauce as you like it. The more water you allow to drain, the thicker your sauce will be.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58azIRnqmClKJ4dgFw__g0qt8QkLMmtHdlgATMR1WFK3hndN0KZfetDe8hpuy3XZhTgt0ssqfFNY-Zs1YpG1MFQzUHC0oXnpEi17E-iVCrwrdaIYJOif2rR9yzOXaPNlgRlywOaAIYS9L/s1600/3+Run+through+the+strainer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58azIRnqmClKJ4dgFw__g0qt8QkLMmtHdlgATMR1WFK3hndN0KZfetDe8hpuy3XZhTgt0ssqfFNY-Zs1YpG1MFQzUHC0oXnpEi17E-iVCrwrdaIYJOif2rR9yzOXaPNlgRlywOaAIYS9L/s400/3+Run+through+the+strainer.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The saucing station and someone who really likes applesauce</td></tr>
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It will take about three hopper fillings to sauce the whole batch. After processing a hopper full, dump the 9 x 13 pan into the large stainless steel bowl.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5TK3nrVL31ko9JQYSSvonBwBNj-8C44Z0Vvqrl_4NZhHO_ArspZEJtSGfuWsIzMOgQ-8sMjWXRS-vYLMAtqCfwlRHKhfipPhdvZMfhpF1ORLLlvNaySRxdl6PHgR-NpTvKmMowznXpIQk/s1600/4+Coming+out+the+strainer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5TK3nrVL31ko9JQYSSvonBwBNj-8C44Z0Vvqrl_4NZhHO_ArspZEJtSGfuWsIzMOgQ-8sMjWXRS-vYLMAtqCfwlRHKhfipPhdvZMfhpF1ORLLlvNaySRxdl6PHgR-NpTvKmMowznXpIQk/s400/4+Coming+out+the+strainer.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Victorio Strainer in action</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYWlWjm7yD3zNqZbk7XySYKumhdNarMz8FJUUaUAfDWRuEMFM0BqQKpjw0AywiFOEOthchfR8FZ_DfrASnObW5tR-dum6dkH9JzLIPVoxHj09KyGU0LAlJCJ2Zk3UoWWw5R9fzz9Fk4VIJ/s1600/5+Residue+coming+out+the+strainer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYWlWjm7yD3zNqZbk7XySYKumhdNarMz8FJUUaUAfDWRuEMFM0BqQKpjw0AywiFOEOthchfR8FZ_DfrASnObW5tR-dum6dkH9JzLIPVoxHj09KyGU0LAlJCJ2Zk3UoWWw5R9fzz9Fk4VIJ/s400/5+Residue+coming+out+the+strainer.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is all that is lost from seven quarts of applesauce</td></tr>
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With the apples all sauced, now is the time to pour the boiling water over your lids and rings. Then move the bowl of sauce to the area where you will fill and lid the jars. At this time, if you have a helper they can now cut and fill the pot up with apples and get it cooking while you fill the jars. If you are alone, then get the apples cut and cooking before filling the jars. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkc2ikUNGLtrWu_r3ZvB4hooKV19WH4AcerlrUlW1LdRkjK6fk6mOp498HPQlAl5qvJ_EdbnKH8wlujqf_KkzZR1VNcu-5Ynwq8L-euVs4DE3z1VkQuhKIsXINYG8URY9EfLSUInHgRY_/s1600/6+Filling+the+jars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkc2ikUNGLtrWu_r3ZvB4hooKV19WH4AcerlrUlW1LdRkjK6fk6mOp498HPQlAl5qvJ_EdbnKH8wlujqf_KkzZR1VNcu-5Ynwq8L-euVs4DE3z1VkQuhKIsXINYG8URY9EfLSUInHgRY_/s400/6+Filling+the+jars.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The layout for filling and lidding the jars</td></tr>
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Before filling the jars, stir any desired additions into the sauce, like sugar and/or cinnamon. This time I made it all natural to Carlynn's tastes. In the past, I think we did 1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon for a seven quart batch. Adjust to taste. This time, I did add a teaspoon of Fruit Fresh to see if it will keep the sauce from darkening.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSq2XGznkbUbHHrYK6XcYRH2igf9EDOlmmVSwBMu96jz_XsSyREQk51SW4FKVwgVknejty_Bln9OT0jteOWfAd72A7aG8kD0-N_OQyBLP-LE26E06HiMpkVxp-PJ1L2qK07Hou3U7V3tO/s1600/7+Filling+the+jars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSq2XGznkbUbHHrYK6XcYRH2igf9EDOlmmVSwBMu96jz_XsSyREQk51SW4FKVwgVknejty_Bln9OT0jteOWfAd72A7aG8kD0-N_OQyBLP-LE26E06HiMpkVxp-PJ1L2qK07Hou3U7V3tO/s400/7+Filling+the+jars.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the background you can see how full I fill the jars</td></tr>
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Fill the jars to the bottom of the neck of the jar, wipe the rim with a damp rag, screw the lids on hand tight, place in the canner, and process. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj40bmYXm75tCFgtmvZpCgeC_3lBeBxSvN8Qfqp5dLeKHqHdEGiISpxtIQUmrFCpBrCIt-6-4fDfK3E0HvVynESNPZpBKSdZGViMBBETMAcL8eGhB9d51csFPV494BU-2KlCy98xFdjEfFJ/s1600/8+Lid+the+jars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj40bmYXm75tCFgtmvZpCgeC_3lBeBxSvN8Qfqp5dLeKHqHdEGiISpxtIQUmrFCpBrCIt-6-4fDfK3E0HvVynESNPZpBKSdZGViMBBETMAcL8eGhB9d51csFPV494BU-2KlCy98xFdjEfFJ/s400/8+Lid+the+jars.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Putting the lids on</td></tr>
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I set the timer for 37 minutes with the stove on high, and the canner is shooting out the required full jet of steam by time the 30 minutes processing time starts. I process a little more than the time given in my Ball Blue Book because I don't reboil the sauce before packing the jars, and it also works out that the next batch of apples should be ready right after I remove the jars when they process for this length of time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVxUuqMr5Eu0URQwzBjieITJhkhyZi4dOrQT0gyBwhrt9Il1ZpLnr98hR0s4cSBa60SNzFNu8GSHxgDR3NXMUyTrClnZUHRgIZCUvig1V8vmof4x39J73ZzJVb7KWgrJRFPr3LkQeFqt8/s1600/9+Process.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVxUuqMr5Eu0URQwzBjieITJhkhyZi4dOrQT0gyBwhrt9Il1ZpLnr98hR0s4cSBa60SNzFNu8GSHxgDR3NXMUyTrClnZUHRgIZCUvig1V8vmof4x39J73ZzJVb7KWgrJRFPr3LkQeFqt8/s400/9+Process.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to process in the steam canner</td></tr>
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After processing the required time, remove the jars and set aside to cool. Check the next batch of apples; they should be about soft enough to sauce. Repeat the above steps until you run out of apples or time. I did something new this time. Instead of dumping the liquid remaining after the last batch, I poured it through a kitchen mesh stainer and into a pitcher and recovered some really thick cider, an added benefit! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One evening's work</td></tr>
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In about 4 1/2 hours one evening and 3 hours on Saturday, I put up 38 quarts of applesauce and got about 2 gallons of cider. Now I get to enjoy for the rest of the year.Rick Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15215750612315646870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796860197125246594.post-73305440176740597222009-12-13T07:58:00.000-08:002016-03-27T17:04:12.236-07:00A Sunday Talk from a Country Song<div align="justify">
I thought I'd share a talk given in church earlier this year. On a Sunday when members were asked to bring investigators, they asked me to condense a talk on forgiveness I'd given a couple years ago from 28 minutes to 7 or 8 minutes. I tried, and found it impossible to do, so I wrote another talk to fit the time allotted. I believe it turned out very well. <br />
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WASHED IN THE BLOOD<br />
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The other day while driving home from work, I was listening to the radio when the words of a new country song struck me and caused me to reflect. The singer tells in the song of the girl a few houses down the road, with whom he fell in love and asked to marry, and of the response of the girl’s mother to this proposition. “Her momma wants to know if I’m washed in the blood, or just in the water?” (Down the Road, Kenny Chesney) I paused to reflect upon the deeper meaning within this simple verse.<br />
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I then thought about something in a book I recently read, where the author related an experience he had teaching the Gospel Doctrine class in his ward. One Sunday, he asked his students, “What does it mean to be a good Mormon?” The answers to this question were typical of what you might expect in such a class – attend church, pay tithing, attend the temple, read scriptures, hold family home evening, do your home and visiting teaching – all the right Sunday School answers. He then asked a second question, “What does it mean to be a good Christian?” The answers received were quite different – love others, care for the poor, give service, treat your family members kindly. He was struck by the fact that the answers were different, for shouldn’t they be the same? (The Cost of Winning: Coming in First Across the Wrong Finish Line, Dean Hughes) And in this story I found what I would define as the difference between being washed in the blood or just in the water.<br />
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We can keep the commandment to be baptized, can be washed in the water as it were, but until we are truly changed in our hearts and have no more desire to sin, have we really been washed in His blood? Is it possible to pay our tithing and still be covetous of the things of the world? To read the scriptures every day and not have the word of God written in our hearts? To pray morning and night and not be guided by the voice of the Spirit in our lives? To hold family home evening every week and yet treat each other with harshness in our home? Can we be washed in the water, keeping the outward commandments, without it reaching our inward parts and changing our hearts? (See Jeremiah 31:33)<br />
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Let us not misunderstand that keeping His commandments is not important; rather, it is essential – in that the scriptures are abundantly clear. However, the end must not simply be compliance with commands, but becoming more like Christ. Elder Dallin H. Oaks has said,<br />
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“The Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts – what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts – what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.” (“The Challenge to Become”, Ensign, November 2000, 32)<br />
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What does our Father want us to become? We are familiar with the scripture in the Sermon on the Mount, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect…” (Matt 5:48) and so we might go about trying hard to make all the right deposits in our heavenly account, to perfectly keep every commandment. But take a moment and look at this verse in the context of the verses around it, rather than just alone. It is the concluding verse in a section commanding us to love and do good to everyone, even our enemies, that we may become the children of our Father in Heaven. Perhaps we should consider in this verse the command to love completely, even as our Father in Heaven loves each of His children.<br />
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This love is something that must enter into every aspect of our lives, in ways we perhaps don’t often think of. Have you ever noticed in General Conference, at the conclusion of the session, the prophet often gives the admonition to be careful and courteous as we are driving home? We might often think of this as a trite phrase like the “bless us to travel home safely” common in our closing prayers at church, but could there be more to it than that? Might we consider that there actually is a way the Lord would want us to drive? As we stand in the shopping line with our one item in a hurry to get wherever we are going and the old lady in front of us fumbles with her checkbook, searches in her purse for a pen, and steals precious minutes from our life, are our thoughts loving and Christ like? As our young child spills her milk over the table and the floor for the third night in a row, do we wipe away the tears with Kleenex or sandpaper? In our homes, with our children, in our simple day to day interactions with everyone around us, do we allow His love to permeate our lives, to fill our hearts?<br />
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In the first part of the fourth chapter of Mosiah, King Benjamin teaches his people how to receive salvation – through faith, repentance, obedience to the commandments, continuing faithful to the end – all the things we are so familiar with. What applies to our discussion here is found as he continues his discourse in the second half of this chapter, where he describes the characteristics of those who have been saved. They will not have a mind to injure one another and will live peaceably with each other. They will care for their children and teach them to walk in the truth and to love one another. They will take care of others, administering to their relief, both temporally and spiritually. They will not judge those less fortunate, but will impart of their substance freely. King Benjamin does not characterize those who are saved by how they are with themselves, but by how they are with others.<br />
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Each week we come to church, partake of the sacrament, and listening to the prayer make the covenant that we are willing to take upon us the name of His Son. What more is it to take His name upon us than simply to act as he would act, do as he would do, love as he would love? As our lives become, albeit on a small and imperfect scale, a mirror of His, as we work, not just to keep the commandments, but to let them work in us to change our hearts, we will know the joy of His love as we are washed clean in His blood. May we so do, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.<br />
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Rick Merrill<br />
Meadow Springs Ward<br />
March 15, 2009</div>
Rick Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15215750612315646870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796860197125246594.post-20976376458850216132009-09-13T17:20:00.000-07:002009-09-13T17:59:44.809-07:00Noisy ReverenceSeptember 13, 2009 Midland, MI<br /><br />I love the familiarity of attending church. In whatever city or country it may be, there are some things that always seem the same. The young men in white shirts and ties at the front of the chapel before the meeting trying to determine who is there and if they will need to ask more people to help with the sacrament. A group of young women at the back of the chapel chatting together about whatever young women chat and giggle about. An older sister moving in and out of the pews handing out ward newsletters to those who had arrived early and taken their seats. A mother entering the chapel followed by two young girls in dresses with bows in their hair, finding their way to a place on the back row. Individuals greeting each other as they find their way to an empty bench, people genuinely happy to see each other and to be together. <br /><br />Somehow I want to believe that heaven will be more about greeting and chatting and finding joy in our personal interactions, than about sitting quietly listening to heavenly prelude. Yes, there is a time for quiet reverence and introspection, and the chapel before church may be one of them, but isn't there also something holy in a people whose hearts are intertwined, who share their lives with each other, who inquire about and look after each other as God would if He were here? Even if there is a bit of noise arising from their joy at meeting together again? I think God will tolerate a little noisy reverence among his children.Rick Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15215750612315646870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796860197125246594.post-22012014895529727072009-07-17T17:37:00.000-07:002014-10-04T22:40:26.096-07:00Boulder MountainJuly 17, 2009 Boulder Mountain<br />
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Some of the crew were pretty worn out after the activities of the last few days, so instead of the hike into Calf Creek Falls, we decided a scenic drive up the Hell's Backbone road between Escalante and Boulder with a picnic up high on Boulder Mountain and a couple fishing stops would be a nice change of pace. The first fishing stop was great (Pine Creek at the lower entrance to The Box). A beautiful little stream full of nice sized little brown trout eager to take a fly. In some places the stream runs along red slickrock faces - pretty cool.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46tdqTKXq14Wa1joUP7YrAo1-uxMrclQOHApKsyeXsDvPhIkU_bnAXeRl_lYZ2mEhMco3R51Jt0Nz6nrCfdo-WUWsvOjG5vESPHQ2xcCgM7ZUHJA2tPp7uagJHJwieBNZVvFBLiY7HDFs/s1600-h/Pine+Creek-SE+Brown+2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46tdqTKXq14Wa1joUP7YrAo1-uxMrclQOHApKsyeXsDvPhIkU_bnAXeRl_lYZ2mEhMco3R51Jt0Nz6nrCfdo-WUWsvOjG5vESPHQ2xcCgM7ZUHJA2tPp7uagJHJwieBNZVvFBLiY7HDFs/s400/Pine+Creek-SE+Brown+2.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378520340475458706" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a> One of many Pine Creek browns<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtlhXDxjzgGBVm0VckqeGvVvIwOr3M2hfdiVgYJo6ld45YSc0Z2hjJmXpePjvyhI-LtWf2FAxjrXzZ6GprulcuP4icMZ8KrbvUg_WilF_HUr6Ix04sfFjlDenLpAVY_oIm_XniCIBZy4HB/s1600-h/Pine+Creek-SE+Brown.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtlhXDxjzgGBVm0VckqeGvVvIwOr3M2hfdiVgYJo6ld45YSc0Z2hjJmXpePjvyhI-LtWf2FAxjrXzZ6GprulcuP4icMZ8KrbvUg_WilF_HUr6Ix04sfFjlDenLpAVY_oIm_XniCIBZy4HB/s400/Pine+Creek-SE+Brown.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378520331108538370" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>First cast in Pine Creek<br />
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We continued up the road where I was hopeful of stopping alongside this creek a few miles further up the mountain for a picnic and a bit more fishing. The car decided otherwise, as we started to overheat and boil over pretty badly when we were just short of the top. After a wait for the engine to cool a little, I turned around and we headed back to Escalante. The only shop in town did a quick check and found the radiator cap didn't hold pressure, but nothing else wrong. Only cost the cost of the new cap. Thanks guys! But I lost a little faith in the old minivan and was a little unsure of going way off the beaten path, so we stuck to the main highway on our way to Capitol Reef. Still an amazingly beautiful drive (I should have stopped to fish Calf Creek though! Another reason to go back some time)<br />
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We stayed the night in Bicknell a little ways from Capitol Reef because there was a hotel there with a good deal on a family room (Aquarius Inn, two rooms, kitchen, hide-a-bed for $79/night). I had a fishing license which could do with a little more use and a couple hours of free time, so I found another Pine Creek which appeared to be not too far from Bicknell and took off with Jessica, who was excited to accompany me. With evening time running short, gravel roads became 60 mph highways as I rushed to try and find the creek. It appeared I guessed correctly at all the road forks, as we looked ahead and saw the road approaching what appeared to be a creek in the valley bottom. Or did I find the right stream? It looked more like a small ditch with a little water running beside the road! Well, as I always tell the kids, there is only one way to find out if are fish in a stream - and there were. Jess and I caught about 30 in 45 minutes, all small cutthroats. I could fish streams like this all day! Not a place for those looking for fish with size, but if I'm back in the area, I think I'd try and find out what was just around that bend where the creek turns away from the road..... </div>
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<img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqJBOucnjaBpJISFNuYBXpsVAeSADAeQJaZQYIu3s-Z3fqtloxBqUTR5dYpqxDgl-epiuPZizIMv72xm1QaUiM7BUGNnNarCzS32Ng_tCPbZWyU-g6u9U4n6YqslBucyFkDpk735paMuGJ/s400/Pine+Creek+NW+Cutt.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378520359842229650" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" />Small Pine Creek Cutthroat<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31qyk3YLGSlvaknmt9Qivdpd1fvc-eOml2eGDwm_9lNO-rxLI8Pdwt8I8GnqA5RYngEQgtPNCWtkvUjN35BNOeIQ7NE_Bwo6kYrzDUPEd_fYOViAw7PhQC0Ig8qN0LQRL9p7uC6PNiLOp/s1600-h/Jess+Pine+Creek+NW.jpg"><br /><br /><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31qyk3YLGSlvaknmt9Qivdpd1fvc-eOml2eGDwm_9lNO-rxLI8Pdwt8I8GnqA5RYngEQgtPNCWtkvUjN35BNOeIQ7NE_Bwo6kYrzDUPEd_fYOViAw7PhQC0Ig8qN0LQRL9p7uC6PNiLOp/s400/Jess+Pine+Creek+NW.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378520353696214514" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>Jess still knows how to use a fly rod<br />
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Rick Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15215750612315646870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796860197125246594.post-58002517829507033392009-07-16T23:38:00.000-07:002014-10-04T22:40:14.763-07:00Grosvenor ArchJuly 16, 2009 Grosvenor Arch<br />
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One more stop after eating early dinner in Escalante and returning to Cannonville, we headed south with the intention of seeing both Grosvenor Arch and the slot canyon of Willis Creek. Since the road was paved nearly halfway to Grosvenor Arch, I figured we could make it there and back pretty fast, then see if we could make it the shorter distance to Willis Creek the same evening. That was an overly optimistic assumption. Shortly after Kodachrome Basin State Park, the road turns to gravel. Shortly after that, it gets pretty rough. I couldn't go more than 10 to 15 mph for much of the 9 miles. After an hour of driving, we arrived in a nice little parking lot with a concrete sidewalk linking the parking lot and arch. The arch is wheelchair accessible, but the road to it is barely car accessible! A quick hike to the base of the arch gives a great view. Then we turned around and returned to Cannonville before dark - no way did I want to drive that road in the dark. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QWDwSyhKI5GYyfPQpM682Lga6jof9GbzDpg0tUy9ImEToXR5RhmnMuR1NzOqwWBQQDTvk0cYf4_lLGFCVEhkGB7ff-NYNoqviEnP4oAZv60YpAbrzUz-urDSfhfW6KGzfbPQ0cr_kdGy/s1600-h/GV01.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QWDwSyhKI5GYyfPQpM682Lga6jof9GbzDpg0tUy9ImEToXR5RhmnMuR1NzOqwWBQQDTvk0cYf4_lLGFCVEhkGB7ff-NYNoqviEnP4oAZv60YpAbrzUz-urDSfhfW6KGzfbPQ0cr_kdGy/s400/GV01.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372674858644904562" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>View from Cottonwood Road on the way to Grosvenor Arch </div>
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<img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqY9DC2KXJCMw2iFXQSemuMpZPmaHDS7Ybmvy7T9aG-JrG0374ECiutFCfNBRWMMz-lVWZcPVDjqwOXWrneo8uZqsSzOyvY1diDulZEFt2c-5Poy4nRoc2hxLk0DArGKi0pPQGo_UqsH4a/s400/GV05.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372674834448127730" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></div>
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The approach to Grosvenor Arch</div>
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<img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu8Sir51Rm_klhWIqDbJM81AoS5g4aUu35udohuV-M7ywn1G_jUVH5xGHVi_0bURlsmxNTETU9TcfU_QactE9b8QDIZfFepPh03M1kUG_E6vn4tjWpmE0SivS-K1dbbdCWohyphenhyphenIVVbGF5Et/s400/GV06.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372674826032631458" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></div>
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Grosvenor Arch close up</div>
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<img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GMKrNdIa2Adralu2cHiLMzXRSlf2bXb0o13zRnQYZ3pm8m4I05PYCl1PJfyb6oQgKIGipqVLwmIbiDhuo6bNHhJkWXC4zvDLXylL_zlnH2bWPpceX44D69chltqeKbHVv3jGbPywSIby/s400/GV03.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372674840177237778" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /> The sun setting as we return from Grosvenor Arch<br />
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Rick Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15215750612315646870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796860197125246594.post-79118442080520839582009-07-16T22:14:00.000-07:002014-10-04T22:39:58.600-07:00Devils GardenJuly 16, 2009 Devils Garden (off Hole-in-the-Rock Road)<br />
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Just off Hole-in-the-Rock road over a slight hill so it can't be seen from the road is a little wonderland well worth a short side trip for exploration. We stopped on the way back from Dry Fork Coyote Gulch. Since it was mid-afternoon and very hot, our stay was short, just long enough to wander around and climb on a few formations, find Metate Arch, and move on. The great thing about places like this is that you can climb on, around, and through all of these things - it is like a playground. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifV9d55KLHXq-s3Kn6OankSQVKw7FmgR_jyl6ar86oJke8tXeV90y-5-Q-c-rCHEEkYnFPJ19vtbv1d96QeoEm4pF6zWKw9xXdOjWf5VgZQvn7X5nZmA3HyXejuQoW75i78PyQVQBctmAG/s1600-h/DG01.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifV9d55KLHXq-s3Kn6OankSQVKw7FmgR_jyl6ar86oJke8tXeV90y-5-Q-c-rCHEEkYnFPJ19vtbv1d96QeoEm4pF6zWKw9xXdOjWf5VgZQvn7X5nZmA3HyXejuQoW75i78PyQVQBctmAG/s400/DG01.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372652916500456354" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> Formations in Devil's Garden</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikv3JAr_4cMxQ_mkLJFBUhjQrBZ-g3nMO8O-me9uBZPiPwb4yIIjxoYxrX6wjq7-4gmH2MdU36aD5mESqjUxk2qhm5gKeC6BCpy8mtdpVvPGewe9rtWdTMFWkiiVDR7-F5ejioD_vupu3B/s1600-h/DG02.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikv3JAr_4cMxQ_mkLJFBUhjQrBZ-g3nMO8O-me9uBZPiPwb4yIIjxoYxrX6wjq7-4gmH2MdU36aD5mESqjUxk2qhm5gKeC6BCpy8mtdpVvPGewe9rtWdTMFWkiiVDR7-F5ejioD_vupu3B/s400/DG02.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372652908827006658" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> More of Devil's Garden</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtNdK6AllZGbKKGCRy2tTsUuq1hftvF2pOqGgg4Y3hhY73t0qaAXU6GDy3pyEFHb1BjMAxt0AvOqcFiPTV67eK9cHW6XeAo9bzG30uZIrJNlNbtqhKaJdfuASYELpwnXP0Bwl9N5gVMdMQ/s1600-h/DG03.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtNdK6AllZGbKKGCRy2tTsUuq1hftvF2pOqGgg4Y3hhY73t0qaAXU6GDy3pyEFHb1BjMAxt0AvOqcFiPTV67eK9cHW6XeAo9bzG30uZIrJNlNbtqhKaJdfuASYELpwnXP0Bwl9N5gVMdMQ/s400/DG03.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372652897403835474" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a> Metate Arch - you have to wander around until you find it (not too hard)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitDnZqPrnxUtgQ8u2-PklpiACd7LQJPI2jYMvYnw2mCFRM-ogjbHBsVtnV2e0XrKiCbYhpiFGFiVNQmM-JZq7C2O0UsfWwfnBvelVltK94oR3L07FXPzMcFJWbGUYoOxF1iHlv4vXBcRKE/s1600-h/DG04.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitDnZqPrnxUtgQ8u2-PklpiACd7LQJPI2jYMvYnw2mCFRM-ogjbHBsVtnV2e0XrKiCbYhpiFGFiVNQmM-JZq7C2O0UsfWwfnBvelVltK94oR3L07FXPzMcFJWbGUYoOxF1iHlv4vXBcRKE/s400/DG04.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372652887152446610" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a>Jess at Devil's Garden<br />
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Rick Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15215750612315646870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796860197125246594.post-53886832573409921132009-07-16T15:18:00.000-07:002014-10-04T22:39:42.832-07:00Slot CanyonsJuly 16, 2009 Dry Fork Coyote Gulch/Spooky and Peekaboo Slots<br />
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I'd been really been looking forward to this hike and was not disappointed. After driving to the trailhead (good gravel a good part of the way, a couple rough spots that required a good bit of care in the family minivan), we started at the trailhead in the late morning (about 10 am). It was pretty hot, but there is quite a bit of shade available with the canyon walls and a tree here and there. The trail down into the main gulch (Dry Fork Coyote) is a fairly easy and short sand and slickrock trail. To the left is a narrows in the main gulch, which was worth the short walk up into it. Pretty much straight across the main gulch from where the trail enters is the entrance to Peek-a-Boo which we saved for later. Down the gulch about a half mile is the side canyon of Spooky Gulch. That is where we headed first. </div>
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<img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdppcRk013QJqRgzHmUbhNZY8h_tr2Z93ftyAIe5CJCRHAcm28EyQHpKZwxgMEFYe1ngb868RxN-VTRRZm4h2kND57BluJJj6KHjob6F5TecdX_KsFq8KpW-45Z3Ym1olleDfjrUSCI0AH/s400/DF01.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372546735180159298" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /><br />
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On the way to Spooky</div>
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<img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8D3w49bjFqtC7vu9zLBIhBYGOulamIJ8FkjsJWfZyttUEz4fcZWTB0woQvgRu5YhFEFEKrASy9r3X4vuDKJ4XZ_wCU5fufmFDVlfqjgNzoHStVS4rnkXxeH5HaJeYIGRqBp0iIgfjQRqg/s400/DF02.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372546729630677138" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /><br />
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A lone tree in the bottom of Dry Fork Coyote Gulch</div>
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The mouth of Spooky is really cool looking, just a narrow crack in the sandstone wall (climb up the dune to the left of the mouth for the view in the picture). The slot quickly narrows as you enter, and within a short distance you come to the narrowest point we encountered. I couldn't go through standing up, but on my knees I could crawl through as it was a little wider near the bottom. The slot continues, with lots of twists and turns and beautiful stratified sandstone walls. The girls just walked through, but through much of the slot I was scraping my front and back on the walls. We eventually came to a dry fall, and rather than scramble up, we turned around and headed for Peekaboo. <br />
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<img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1c8sbPBHuCp9OT87-RvYTgQahhc_swTJRalNNtsmcM5gDiUSQrQzjd1YA_eStQBAYKXwIzjs0YWC233x7sMaR_IxHd4MxnoHUGFL-RBYeKyWCggkNSD8HS-PNh4QyIUmFZSiadXgdLrnv/s400/DF03.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372546723200932546" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></div>
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Entrance to Spooky Gulch</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1LOaQsXmmUROFqHXSYtv90-KPIaeYKckWqUR1ceBHQli32w9eQ3gyI0AsT9FrGjqeNIxRwTpfCVOoJBs75HieBDuRxxZTaUqi3igArCbeyMZSpQPV1JIXdXcnwR-QfkcBMvFjMEDn64Rf/s1600-h/DF04.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1LOaQsXmmUROFqHXSYtv90-KPIaeYKckWqUR1ceBHQli32w9eQ3gyI0AsT9FrGjqeNIxRwTpfCVOoJBs75HieBDuRxxZTaUqi3igArCbeyMZSpQPV1JIXdXcnwR-QfkcBMvFjMEDn64Rf/s400/DF04.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372546713803086402" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a> Just inside the mouth of Spooky<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSTBBeZt8u2qen5ImK7MyeLpNVSQ2SJen2DzRe5sdajOBW8P27traqxYf-INTKUv5p5WZs8b_mPmm5rjsS_Zw_xLWriBXSU2UInBRWct3jE4lMWQkskXaPfMl6KKxCYO75eVD23T8xMTcf/s1600-h/DF05.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSTBBeZt8u2qen5ImK7MyeLpNVSQ2SJen2DzRe5sdajOBW8P27traqxYf-INTKUv5p5WZs8b_mPmm5rjsS_Zw_xLWriBXSU2UInBRWct3jE4lMWQkskXaPfMl6KKxCYO75eVD23T8xMTcf/s400/DF05.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372546708125546226" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a>The narrowest part of Spooky<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYu0UklTB1IrmE-iZ1mUNWmsmjcvi6ysUUz5Dta_siC2ISZA5HSHZAphltOYYOn8-hn2R13eH2u5pXmpCZe_CVA_nhAGYdzB2fKBYlWP0gV3tgIUXuw1Iyvo4oGnoT0pPV7yZqhxe9ZLP/s1600-h/DF06.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYu0UklTB1IrmE-iZ1mUNWmsmjcvi6ysUUz5Dta_siC2ISZA5HSHZAphltOYYOn8-hn2R13eH2u5pXmpCZe_CVA_nhAGYdzB2fKBYlWP0gV3tgIUXuw1Iyvo4oGnoT0pPV7yZqhxe9ZLP/s400/DF06.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372546386710541442" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a>Way cool walls!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjkCVFjJ9Rqf2K6IJYzzdZkXm7-rvJm2QkMVeCy03BU5S3AisArU8LtGs9ANTkZUDbVGehyuSemFbbvNS724jBTXvXWSB1cGvwaXLG1WQ-M1hfquB6aa4vCCSsfISQjGuWTWy-YJMFcW5y/s1600-h/DF07.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjkCVFjJ9Rqf2K6IJYzzdZkXm7-rvJm2QkMVeCy03BU5S3AisArU8LtGs9ANTkZUDbVGehyuSemFbbvNS724jBTXvXWSB1cGvwaXLG1WQ-M1hfquB6aa4vCCSsfISQjGuWTWy-YJMFcW5y/s400/DF07.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372546380829171810" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a>A wide part in Spooky<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5qv6d0-G6wsqTeSFXWzaOCQo43XjbJQYo2Gnffb5rFfisEgFhu3wLHw1VvmxnRnS0Sb5l6KpUtXw-lcMR-RYb2TnLvcK2H_hgl8LgDBoUpVXLCveWrSmVKoF-lXaf5rL7DlnCQzYr6NQ/s1600-h/DF08.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5qv6d0-G6wsqTeSFXWzaOCQo43XjbJQYo2Gnffb5rFfisEgFhu3wLHw1VvmxnRnS0Sb5l6KpUtXw-lcMR-RYb2TnLvcK2H_hgl8LgDBoUpVXLCveWrSmVKoF-lXaf5rL7DlnCQzYr6NQ/s400/DF08.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372546368664050194" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a>It winds and winds like this<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFXaKwmG-eOZzXUbTQoZE2aIBub8QPv_UmhiQq0ZVMTcxom7OvWS8nJ_m-Cwno0kbP3eYth9IMqxIWfcVC39pPeXPws5NNHTMaecfR30O9gGFMdeojUB8Qinp1VnvQNSHA8oHej53r5ewO/s1600-h/DF09.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFXaKwmG-eOZzXUbTQoZE2aIBub8QPv_UmhiQq0ZVMTcxom7OvWS8nJ_m-Cwno0kbP3eYth9IMqxIWfcVC39pPeXPws5NNHTMaecfR30O9gGFMdeojUB8Qinp1VnvQNSHA8oHej53r5ewO/s400/DF09.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372546364658211634" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>The explorers near the mouth of Spooky<br />
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Back up canyon, we returned to the mouth of Peekaboo. It was a bit tricky to get into, with about a 15 foot dry fall to scramble up to the first dry pool. There are some footholds carved in the rock, and with the skills we learned from the guide on Monday, Sarah, Jess, and I were able to make it up into the canyon. I just wanted to explore the lower part, which is where there are unique arches almost like interlocking rings, above a series of round pools (mostly dry). I was able to climb around the one mudhole, but the girls had to jump in. We went up through a few more dry pools to get in the midst of the arches. More incredible scenery carved in the sandstone! The climb back down the dry fall at the mouth appeared more difficult than the climb up, so I put a rope around the girls as a safety as they climbed down, but they didn't need it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-L9TDxm1dKg6OkVGQLAhT7C8xN5ns82bwu-cEC0luM3PbCtYzwlTsv60JQ8mv9KFjSuus1MOh0ABlH-jatS_kmGUxEsmz4MeqQZlo0cq4ZeBRRyaSn5RLp6kHEyE9vSH_-2sl9MV1_imj/s1600-h/DF10.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-L9TDxm1dKg6OkVGQLAhT7C8xN5ns82bwu-cEC0luM3PbCtYzwlTsv60JQ8mv9KFjSuus1MOh0ABlH-jatS_kmGUxEsmz4MeqQZlo0cq4ZeBRRyaSn5RLp6kHEyE9vSH_-2sl9MV1_imj/s400/DF10.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372546361095569250" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a> Dry fall at the mouth of Peekaboo<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQMIiaZr3SoMu8FemGZnvr5nxKGn99KW5WOTvBnC4_L3Dtz6C_9AAd5o3ildh-_sOmrzH82NAAAD3NeQc0sQGNjeGSnp1ysYRQFzC4phN3Y0ZrJjwUQ4o1j9H63dIr1q42yY9ohA_31JUL/s1600-h/DF11.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQMIiaZr3SoMu8FemGZnvr5nxKGn99KW5WOTvBnC4_L3Dtz6C_9AAd5o3ildh-_sOmrzH82NAAAD3NeQc0sQGNjeGSnp1ysYRQFzC4phN3Y0ZrJjwUQ4o1j9H63dIr1q42yY9ohA_31JUL/s400/DF11.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372546040120192434" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a>Sarah in the mud hole<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYy20avHbcM9VpeVmnTlc64fEs2kFY-JUrXNLcWXNwXGNfnh6CKE7T6FUow8-j26-1t47luLUxVuuUPSPk0Wor0d8vN6eI2l35yx9zIZYb3uEZeWprI3axm4l_zOEhZ552boGkxBYggOqh/s1600-h/DF12.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYy20avHbcM9VpeVmnTlc64fEs2kFY-JUrXNLcWXNwXGNfnh6CKE7T6FUow8-j26-1t47luLUxVuuUPSPk0Wor0d8vN6eI2l35yx9zIZYb3uEZeWprI3axm4l_zOEhZ552boGkxBYggOqh/s400/DF12.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372546037605564482" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> This took a while to wash off back at the hotel<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcAXzZrlElRK901xO9I9UySq0Z0UMl3-VcC9W0LBHUga5ypdGB0LhQGfT6pQY4L296oemTQl4j88zvvm8tpuztcAiOiy9T2-YocaL-Dr5MSzy3Z38BMF4kxvFtD9vizWBWpRzjY7V8y7RD/s1600-h/DF13.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcAXzZrlElRK901xO9I9UySq0Z0UMl3-VcC9W0LBHUga5ypdGB0LhQGfT6pQY4L296oemTQl4j88zvvm8tpuztcAiOiy9T2-YocaL-Dr5MSzy3Z38BMF4kxvFtD9vizWBWpRzjY7V8y7RD/s400/DF13.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372546028065899154" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a> The namesake arches of Peekaboo Gulch<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVIqT03ZDMnrcPVQ4f8E9xT9KRKFnYZiorV51x-dUbLyXpXTKa39zfcU5T7OzLoGSYKrMm1JJHcNATztBFnbAQp8d_v2dtsm_uZJksygEjClEiZpDpO7mHztTO-Fms8D_YRIcYpnHtH8qL/s1600-h/DF14.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVIqT03ZDMnrcPVQ4f8E9xT9KRKFnYZiorV51x-dUbLyXpXTKa39zfcU5T7OzLoGSYKrMm1JJHcNATztBFnbAQp8d_v2dtsm_uZJksygEjClEiZpDpO7mHztTO-Fms8D_YRIcYpnHtH8qL/s400/DF14.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372546014703446578" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a> Jess and Sarah in Peekaboo<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XyJdrWOK36GJSa8ShSyWhkToq4OqeHiMiU3ZLbzDTOFR1xdNEW9Gu4fkTXo_wG5JWWzCO3YNWkxlDVEenPWyEjhxo0cUtunxV0zL-0xEv9F8pj1A5o23Ljc3PKkbakL4coe0cFFqpRir/s1600-h/DF15.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XyJdrWOK36GJSa8ShSyWhkToq4OqeHiMiU3ZLbzDTOFR1xdNEW9Gu4fkTXo_wG5JWWzCO3YNWkxlDVEenPWyEjhxo0cUtunxV0zL-0xEv9F8pj1A5o23Ljc3PKkbakL4coe0cFFqpRir/s400/DF15.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372546010618368034" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a> Sarah downclimbing from pool to pool<br />
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Spooky and Peekaboo aren't the only attraction, as there are sections of narrows in the main gulch upstream of Peekaboo and just downstream of the trail turnoff to Spooky. While not as narrow, they are beautiful in their own right with sinuous sandstone walls above the sandy canyon bottom, well worth a little more walking. I think this is a must see if you are in the area and can make it to the trail head.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSMrJvIkUNm0V6A_4bVI8sf0fRCo36KvR2Lr7SvbGt1Wjf758KX4iln6K9aT6MxxYfR8Y8OziNHahsZhRHHK0o7B6UX2zcdP4ON08VtEQZW1S1meORtHeFNzsmslRtIV3pjtaRt7LmcTod/s1600-h/DF16.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSMrJvIkUNm0V6A_4bVI8sf0fRCo36KvR2Lr7SvbGt1Wjf758KX4iln6K9aT6MxxYfR8Y8OziNHahsZhRHHK0o7B6UX2zcdP4ON08VtEQZW1S1meORtHeFNzsmslRtIV3pjtaRt7LmcTod/s400/DF16.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372545526855499810" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a>Narrows of Dry Fork Coyote Gulch upstream from Peekaboo<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQed1EjWX3LRP7opxn8BjIhVYqd9V4kbg92JWFmqvcUEv0b2_1Qb_Jlle9cUUE7aTKtGLn3qrOlQEc6VaOHQBlmx5wTRYxeYNmw9i8erbuscJgdwqVirfRbiCTE_bnA-Y2qagB4EDsmdiH/s1600-h/DF17.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQed1EjWX3LRP7opxn8BjIhVYqd9V4kbg92JWFmqvcUEv0b2_1Qb_Jlle9cUUE7aTKtGLn3qrOlQEc6VaOHQBlmx5wTRYxeYNmw9i8erbuscJgdwqVirfRbiCTE_bnA-Y2qagB4EDsmdiH/s400/DF17.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372545520819809970" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a>Narrows downstream of the trail to Spooky<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0eXAHBUZibyw-WIQPDNyymnuKwpXO_B1V8lXJLVYzbEtuIai_fgf6bStSCTN1YNnaqdlbiIJh5MwEg6f58wGzMqHof29a1c5wGaRt_64s2MGvjx29iDlewxcVf4sxUeASQg9563gXEDUQ/s1600-h/DF18.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0eXAHBUZibyw-WIQPDNyymnuKwpXO_B1V8lXJLVYzbEtuIai_fgf6bStSCTN1YNnaqdlbiIJh5MwEg6f58wGzMqHof29a1c5wGaRt_64s2MGvjx29iDlewxcVf4sxUeASQg9563gXEDUQ/s400/DF18.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372545516789925394" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a> Narrows of Dry Fork Coyote<br />
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Rick Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15215750612315646870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796860197125246594.post-32476779546935373032009-07-15T06:10:00.000-07:002014-10-13T17:56:32.167-07:00Bryce CanyonJuly 15, 2009 Bryce Canyon: Solitude Amongst the Hoodoos<br />
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On the way to Cannonville we stopped to do a hike in Bryce. Carlynn really liked Bryce. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJsONYQu4LuXsPoHiRihUNkztDCnljxPeRVn_APFFRTS06RYJUUXjjKb4DoWGxWdmoFgMgHjVoxDkS0WXTkAceO9-cAnXJPKCaRS3NZQyWBMCyK9T0ZqG5RJKlqlt2shGxkSiGnIizySX/s1600-h/Bryce+Canyon+01.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJsONYQu4LuXsPoHiRihUNkztDCnljxPeRVn_APFFRTS06RYJUUXjjKb4DoWGxWdmoFgMgHjVoxDkS0WXTkAceO9-cAnXJPKCaRS3NZQyWBMCyK9T0ZqG5RJKlqlt2shGxkSiGnIizySX/s400/Bryce+Canyon+01.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372412886562432754" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> The required photo at the Bryce entrance sign</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ePeloaB8IIvii99tXjPFJaR_o6yrP-kQxWqm60k54Lx3KUfXRlUbybd9ayZBtal1fO1MUCo4fwr_NljDw4xgTJynbfJX-8fmlpEnmYGkYP4M5qGb3v-26_vlJpzrNL6yJvzPtiRXhxZQ/s1600-h/Bryce+Canyon+02.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ePeloaB8IIvii99tXjPFJaR_o6yrP-kQxWqm60k54Lx3KUfXRlUbybd9ayZBtal1fO1MUCo4fwr_NljDw4xgTJynbfJX-8fmlpEnmYGkYP4M5qGb3v-26_vlJpzrNL6yJvzPtiRXhxZQ/s400/Bryce+Canyon+02.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372412882603388210" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> The view from Bryce Point</div>
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The interesting thing about Bryce is that you can find yourself competing with crowds for views into the amphitheater or wandering in nearly complete solitude around and through the very formations the crowds above are looking at. Hordes of tourists fill the trails to the viewpoints, parking the car or getting off the bus, walking a few hundred yards to the viewpoint, snapping a few photos, then back to the car or bus. A few short, popular trails get fairly heavy use, such as the trail down into Wall Street. But take a little longer hike of a few miles, and you can get up close and personal with the formations you see from above. You get a very different perspective, lots of different views, and you will only pass the occasional hiker on the trail. We did an approximately 4 mile hike from Bryce Point, around half of Peek-a-Boo loop, and up through Wall Street back to the rim at Sunset Point. We only ran into a half dozen or so other groups until we hit the Navajo loop trail. There were a good bit of ups and downs on the trail, mainly down at the start and up at the end, but well worth the effort. If you are ever in Bryce, don't just settle for the view from the rim. Get down off the rim and find yourself solitude among the hoodoos.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lDlytvt2LsZFiytLwlXFzEdl4Eucu18rFeYw7tc69DTb3_WfqGQ9gwuw8LnAWpz_bLR_vunUYjoiiHAytdufF_0pM-briV-7ghDHwwAsfy3l-OEj4fjMCtTfx0_MsN3lU6lLlOFEVcOn/s1600-h/Bryce+Canyon+03.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lDlytvt2LsZFiytLwlXFzEdl4Eucu18rFeYw7tc69DTb3_WfqGQ9gwuw8LnAWpz_bLR_vunUYjoiiHAytdufF_0pM-briV-7ghDHwwAsfy3l-OEj4fjMCtTfx0_MsN3lU6lLlOFEVcOn/s400/Bryce+Canyon+03.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372412876350073586" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>The start of the trail at Bryce Point<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvoiGX1gIb_1VhtfcqNyxLrNuJ-l8eDjZdIOUtr7I4mY2bzIsEVD2fiUQw2DNWFX6h5lpz9Rd0UmP7cv1qT5W1HJRMcLqYa5PXUtw2AqX7lOMmzvhKgSeN8YLVk_p76PSN1dxq9YVSoKPC/s1600-h/Bryce+Canyon+04.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvoiGX1gIb_1VhtfcqNyxLrNuJ-l8eDjZdIOUtr7I4mY2bzIsEVD2fiUQw2DNWFX6h5lpz9Rd0UmP7cv1qT5W1HJRMcLqYa5PXUtw2AqX7lOMmzvhKgSeN8YLVk_p76PSN1dxq9YVSoKPC/s400/Bryce+Canyon+04.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372412864479834834" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> Descending into the canyon - note the number of people on the trail!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1qfnpcis0n5epV2_ueApX8x9D_xiJJmj9tNh0I2hJjddTFo0jl9ntRoJ1eykmLYle9Byi34xqqGoICN6PXqIP3ZYsRm4WxDlbyWUOlM9CPvBtfH2H-9kZ3cHPDmI_QnrokHdncpjSZXSS/s1600-h/Bryce+Canyon+05.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1qfnpcis0n5epV2_ueApX8x9D_xiJJmj9tNh0I2hJjddTFo0jl9ntRoJ1eykmLYle9Byi34xqqGoICN6PXqIP3ZYsRm4WxDlbyWUOlM9CPvBtfH2H-9kZ3cHPDmI_QnrokHdncpjSZXSS/s400/Bryce+Canyon+05.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372412862950296818" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> Cutting through the hoodos<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkR4pMtPb6i0QKAkO1k4WKIiOEs1ZWkemR2gaUqzHdsxtrQFb7vh04x7nSInDnzI8IjsZc7kzB4Ss12sDVEchFWb-7MdKIf3DgN7N-2zr6jHHrUjALVa3-cnQUumcOnsmHKWr8QWbBuij/s1600-h/Bryce+Canyon+06.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkR4pMtPb6i0QKAkO1k4WKIiOEs1ZWkemR2gaUqzHdsxtrQFb7vh04x7nSInDnzI8IjsZc7kzB4Ss12sDVEchFWb-7MdKIf3DgN7N-2zr6jHHrUjALVa3-cnQUumcOnsmHKWr8QWbBuij/s400/Bryce+Canyon+06.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372412478591062562" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>Wall of windows from the Peek-a-Boo loop trail<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwCvZ5PowEN8u3As7aP62l_7RMuU4av_7zrH_Y8h7Yw0nHIr8_89lDfwwoCn4h_TslnUP22V8yDWrHESXihcWXjWiBrmkBqxl8NEzXz2MbFVKCZQ05OEi7iESf-VdXCFeL5-DpeA6v1JB/s1600-h/Bryce+Canyon+07.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwCvZ5PowEN8u3As7aP62l_7RMuU4av_7zrH_Y8h7Yw0nHIr8_89lDfwwoCn4h_TslnUP22V8yDWrHESXihcWXjWiBrmkBqxl8NEzXz2MbFVKCZQ05OEi7iESf-VdXCFeL5-DpeA6v1JB/s400/Bryce+Canyon+07.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372412471236776882" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> Up close views of the hoodoos are fantastic<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoagoIueu7ohSadd1ENCrsDjB1zJFkM3UU2ukAdhbhsaZ22fUr_aiJmG6YqaGZnZ_L_Cb0SkNSjUbeogU-fKTSosX8yTsSOc7sZQJCo8DW9PWr1XcJ5lo2pZjbISu20icqP2ilGEnqTf7m/s1600-h/Bryce+Canyon+08.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoagoIueu7ohSadd1ENCrsDjB1zJFkM3UU2ukAdhbhsaZ22fUr_aiJmG6YqaGZnZ_L_Cb0SkNSjUbeogU-fKTSosX8yTsSOc7sZQJCo8DW9PWr1XcJ5lo2pZjbISu20icqP2ilGEnqTf7m/s400/Bryce+Canyon+08.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372412464402867538" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>A wide range of colors and shapes<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9phKRDbuhwWtsMLdtags7v4_vfmAohtDBPUf80MRkpcoLb_hYRmI3dOyiol8LJqjX9PSfG9ATGDzRWVr5sfyuKBUL1TbFrLMQqoVpQxBrpd80xZSLGIwL3oPfYUfG2FflhEq0uI4u4So/s1600-h/Bryce+Canyon+09.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9phKRDbuhwWtsMLdtags7v4_vfmAohtDBPUf80MRkpcoLb_hYRmI3dOyiol8LJqjX9PSfG9ATGDzRWVr5sfyuKBUL1TbFrLMQqoVpQxBrpd80xZSLGIwL3oPfYUfG2FflhEq0uI4u4So/s400/Bryce+Canyon+09.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372412457156509746" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> On the trail down into the hoodoos<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyWWaCNk9VOf0lp1Z6G42phez4SAAY2KVZeyaBMmPVYVCs61IQRwLJR4PZ4Fz2Pm_ytFcv0imtkizQMU6yaoI4s6TQ4HEHsI4cYLgiAkR395Q4G8FLEQZL4Cy9BT2dyTE1ak7ijgCI5lNp/s1600-h/Bryce+Canyon+10.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyWWaCNk9VOf0lp1Z6G42phez4SAAY2KVZeyaBMmPVYVCs61IQRwLJR4PZ4Fz2Pm_ytFcv0imtkizQMU6yaoI4s6TQ4HEHsI4cYLgiAkR395Q4G8FLEQZL4Cy9BT2dyTE1ak7ijgCI5lNp/s400/Bryce+Canyon+10.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372412453586234066" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a> Solitude on the trail at the base of the hoodoos<br />
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Rick Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15215750612315646870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796860197125246594.post-87439662278983701052009-07-14T18:26:00.000-07:002014-10-04T22:38:48.790-07:00Angels LandingJuly 14, 2009 Zion National Park<br />
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Today our main event was the 2 1/2 mile climb to Angels Landing, one of the most famous hikes in the park. A fairly tame 2 mile/1000 ft elevation gain hike with some cool switchbacks, then a jaw-dropping half-mile/500 ft gain scramble to the top of Angels Landing. This last half mile of trail sits atop a narrow sandstone rib with sheer cliffs to the valley floor on both sides.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig7rCbFBxTS-TZ6pJaEoUCFnYycsXu3aIJjlR3HOX1J_yJjmqQLZ87nqRQgkFYz5AoHA0c9T6iZ09-F_Ga2WKjZBp6Co6yauMHItnjvk0CUJUr73kHDR_AlbkaAHfypqjwhiLmruoMk8tp/s1600-h/AL01.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig7rCbFBxTS-TZ6pJaEoUCFnYycsXu3aIJjlR3HOX1J_yJjmqQLZ87nqRQgkFYz5AoHA0c9T6iZ09-F_Ga2WKjZBp6Co6yauMHItnjvk0CUJUr73kHDR_AlbkaAHfypqjwhiLmruoMk8tp/s400/AL01.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370745475734675522" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a> That is what we will be on top of in a couple hours - the trail climbs up from the left</div>
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Carlynn stayed behind at the motel, a little bruised and battered from our slot canyon trip yesterday. Jess, Sarah, Mel, and I started about 9:30 am, a little later than I would have liked, but the first set of switchbacks into Refrigerator Canyon was still in the shade. In the picture below, you can see the section of the trail carved into the sheer face of the cliff, a little below the section of blue sky in the photo. But this is the tame part of this trail!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRD8HJVkW6Wl5OYVBKpkGxnEgbdKkKrZVJ6zMrGnK9B6Kb5AEnSTx6yFfQaPjRg8M-y3Jykq0qcC1TgqYxajgwbonhDHH7xH0Pampp_4SWSqvotL8Yc5g-xCTgbemvVZvv7CLCnXNcHWW-/s1600-h/AL02.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRD8HJVkW6Wl5OYVBKpkGxnEgbdKkKrZVJ6zMrGnK9B6Kb5AEnSTx6yFfQaPjRg8M-y3Jykq0qcC1TgqYxajgwbonhDHH7xH0Pampp_4SWSqvotL8Yc5g-xCTgbemvVZvv7CLCnXNcHWW-/s400/AL02.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370745475322988514" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> The trail up to Refridgerator Canyon<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4seqJUa8wQf22BzU6DbksnwaRwBn3haXoCuVwR0PKsp_NMp7Pz63hp3Hw-89Rpvr0Q30rQ1Yw3YZrWb8tvQs2i1iExh7nMHb8tXPHVP-ObXnMg6veYli94T8scB5GZ2IvPpZ_4T71bO43/s1600-h/AL03.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4seqJUa8wQf22BzU6DbksnwaRwBn3haXoCuVwR0PKsp_NMp7Pz63hp3Hw-89Rpvr0Q30rQ1Yw3YZrWb8tvQs2i1iExh7nMHb8tXPHVP-ObXnMg6veYli94T8scB5GZ2IvPpZ_4T71bO43/s400/AL03.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370745469059400754" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a> This is the section of trail carved out of the cliff that you can see in the previous photo<br />
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After a short hike in the coolness of Refrigerator Canyon, you climb up a series of switchbacks known as Walter's Wiggles on the way to Scout Lookout and the start of the interesting part of the trail. Sarah ran from here to the parking lot on the way down - way too much energy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKSrOOjsyB_c-F9qK3EZw6T_Rl5BY_DfmC4ATb6XM8SGfIMbei9a95OxbD1xsa1A4THgdX1qcNRtfwix9Xul8YXK9EQjtTfXavrRD2yrfN5_PPFUH_N5MBt1ea20zhiL_V2R6irp8udd1/s1600-h/AL04.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKSrOOjsyB_c-F9qK3EZw6T_Rl5BY_DfmC4ATb6XM8SGfIMbei9a95OxbD1xsa1A4THgdX1qcNRtfwix9Xul8YXK9EQjtTfXavrRD2yrfN5_PPFUH_N5MBt1ea20zhiL_V2R6irp8udd1/s400/AL04.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370745461093207218" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> Looking down Walter's Wiggles<br />
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At the top of Walter's Wiggles there is a wonderful lookout where the faint of heart can see a great view and turn around the way they came. We weren't the faint of heart, and started on the final part of the trail. Shortly after this, we encountered a teen-age girl crying and clinging to a small tree (literally) in a wide area of the trail. A family member was with her, and another family member further up the trail was yelling back asking how "tree girl" was doing (insensitive younger brother, obviously). The poor girl was petrified, and you can see why with sheer drops on both sides of the trail.</div>
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The hike is easily done unless you are freaked by heights, then don't even think about it. In one short section the trail is no more than 3 feet wide with the cliffs on either side. In other places you have to scramble across angled sandstone faces which end ten or twenty feet below you in a sheer cliff. Jessica went ahead because she was "a little scared" and didn't want to freak out Melinda. Sarah looked for cliffs she could hang her feet over. Melinda was a trooper, hanging onto the chains and climbing up a trail where in many places you were a trip and a short tumble away from the most exciting (and last) few seconds of your life. </div>
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From the top you have the most amazing view up and down Zion Canyon to the river far below. After sitting and enjoying the top of the world feeling, we headed back down. I thought going down would be a lot scarier because instead of facing in towards the rock as you climb, you are facing out and can fully appreciate the exposure of the trail at the top of the cliffs. But for some reason it wasn't. The only bad part was that I hiked ahead of Melinda so I could help her down where needed, and it was a little creepy with her behind me on a lot of the trail where I couldn't watch her all the time and where a mistep without hanging onto the chain could send her tumbling into oblivion. OK, it maybe wasn't as bad as that sounds, but when you are a parent, you worry a little more. The lower part of the trail was in the sun, and it was hot, but the cool river waited at the bottom to soothe tired feet. As we sat and looked back up from the valley floor towards the top of Angels Landing, we realized how incredible that trail really is. A must do.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0k6LZpJ0yV10d6jcdmGS6QfZhz-8vCq9NmYQT75NMA9BzUgniFb8Xnj9uEbR5_2ms8MteP2d-Sq7uGtxXkN-Tzvvzr_iv03v8iziCFVEzT4ko3-SXxiFZt1YTHxdXwJsAjUDJvgvxyR3t/s1600-h/AL05.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0k6LZpJ0yV10d6jcdmGS6QfZhz-8vCq9NmYQT75NMA9BzUgniFb8Xnj9uEbR5_2ms8MteP2d-Sq7uGtxXkN-Tzvvzr_iv03v8iziCFVEzT4ko3-SXxiFZt1YTHxdXwJsAjUDJvgvxyR3t/s400/AL05.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370745450522985698" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a>The start of the "interesting" part of the trail<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8DuRry38NVM-2loLZx-5QYhyodoiADwG3MKRnHFq12RkwAWglzIikATuiJId0v9O_7K8_7yLbo8pcNbN21AN5N6FMk1UbEc5k8N6zXpR3P2dsIhqcbk4J9W92p8aMJBq5fMGzJyre_F_n/s1600-h/AL06.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8DuRry38NVM-2loLZx-5QYhyodoiADwG3MKRnHFq12RkwAWglzIikATuiJId0v9O_7K8_7yLbo8pcNbN21AN5N6FMk1UbEc5k8N6zXpR3P2dsIhqcbk4J9W92p8aMJBq5fMGzJyre_F_n/s400/AL06.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370745040469584034" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a> Yes, that is 1000 feet straight down, Sarah, you don't need to get any closer!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYU62MAQ9kcy7thodKW1PlR1B6nmpPY_CcncaAZ-nPQWFS4SVju2V92ovJ2Vj8JKFhYI79RYk3mKaBrShuy6UaRxHgYuogB86q0t6-_iqwSVNmuL9rY_JMjrKrWWcN1pIYpxEW1viYXBo/s1600-h/AL07.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcYU62MAQ9kcy7thodKW1PlR1B6nmpPY_CcncaAZ-nPQWFS4SVju2V92ovJ2Vj8JKFhYI79RYk3mKaBrShuy6UaRxHgYuogB86q0t6-_iqwSVNmuL9rY_JMjrKrWWcN1pIYpxEW1viYXBo/s400/AL07.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370745027842681282" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a> The trail cuts across the face of the cliff and climbs up the ridge in the backround<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjS31GryVUhhTCmX05IsteoVALvpbstGj0jHi2eBgsqj6uyG13r-gEpys7xMwBbdz8bWo130EHVj24m8BKYvXsrFtyDr5wquNS0zBy6C7Cu9rjvLHspFwg70lVr0OSfrXxe9r2zMM4PTrh/s1600-h/AL08.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjS31GryVUhhTCmX05IsteoVALvpbstGj0jHi2eBgsqj6uyG13r-gEpys7xMwBbdz8bWo130EHVj24m8BKYvXsrFtyDr5wquNS0zBy6C7Cu9rjvLHspFwg70lVr0OSfrXxe9r2zMM4PTrh/s400/AL08.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370745021188949970" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>At a narrow part of the trail (that is a cliff behind me and just to Sarah's right)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjfL5uNGSXiWDy-9wHZaz3anU7P_eRkBVhRPsPB5f_r8m-D-biM_Ec7CTB9f3YbYR8i0PXQNtN6XP-bUO5afa1tHiQ4HohtGwzHVqa9b2a5D13urxGDpNSkMiK7Np6aAGwRUvFEt8oPxi/s1600-h/AL09.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjfL5uNGSXiWDy-9wHZaz3anU7P_eRkBVhRPsPB5f_r8m-D-biM_Ec7CTB9f3YbYR8i0PXQNtN6XP-bUO5afa1tHiQ4HohtGwzHVqa9b2a5D13urxGDpNSkMiK7Np6aAGwRUvFEt8oPxi/s400/AL09.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370745014432055602" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a>Climbing the ridge to Angels Landing<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-VH3_UjNm3XzMaaaiPa2F8ZwniklsZ910BSFWs2eJt7CjB9gClz-K_-AxXwNnxzB0wlnKQYYcrtveQBR53Pxpn0cDC5wd4NF4N1F0_00pe5GrvGloby3eOL7BHHkBdb8gy38duVnbdaBF/s1600-h/AL10.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-VH3_UjNm3XzMaaaiPa2F8ZwniklsZ910BSFWs2eJt7CjB9gClz-K_-AxXwNnxzB0wlnKQYYcrtveQBR53Pxpn0cDC5wd4NF4N1F0_00pe5GrvGloby3eOL7BHHkBdb8gy38duVnbdaBF/s400/AL10.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370745005196090226" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a> Don't show this one to Mom<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1hQ6Vdt_BA_kL7xqB-6MipGaCzvs8fYJUNjZqsZyZQwKOKP_GTns4-Gcqve3tTQUHSCCKdtdxcGgJKPkPbUTcqLRdCg3XZnrOIBoee5V-faRStni0HJ7mjWLJPRRKZAs42xlLBKx0ZF5/s1600-h/AL11.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1hQ6Vdt_BA_kL7xqB-6MipGaCzvs8fYJUNjZqsZyZQwKOKP_GTns4-Gcqve3tTQUHSCCKdtdxcGgJKPkPbUTcqLRdCg3XZnrOIBoee5V-faRStni0HJ7mjWLJPRRKZAs42xlLBKx0ZF5/s400/AL11.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370744592358822994" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a>Looking back down the trail, which is at the top of the cliffs in the backround<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjbpub3VY9-cESAgTEQiPpBHVHBj8WqPl08kzubzU8QoZTNQ2ijLp4qMkCLN72WbvAkbtpxUa9IFmw8bHh-dEpFOEInlZ7kolp6GBHDZSDGl73GJqQ21DoHFgJZlCFSfeCXFJImr0k-JZ/s1600-h/AL12.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjbpub3VY9-cESAgTEQiPpBHVHBj8WqPl08kzubzU8QoZTNQ2ijLp4qMkCLN72WbvAkbtpxUa9IFmw8bHh-dEpFOEInlZ7kolp6GBHDZSDGl73GJqQ21DoHFgJZlCFSfeCXFJImr0k-JZ/s400/AL12.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370744585342906802" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a>The last climb up to the top of Angels Landing<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYL6-b4XVhw5cUBUit5NQ-DhhWpDG-YZvieTlAZANVnAVWuDu5rYgxk8DVkRkD3lR_mOPqnf_vkGMYTrW-r6rngI075dTeZ30fFrWyz-y4k2NLcH881tZf0NQi3QBN32tI8qJyQCHZaKW6/s1600-h/AL13.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYL6-b4XVhw5cUBUit5NQ-DhhWpDG-YZvieTlAZANVnAVWuDu5rYgxk8DVkRkD3lR_mOPqnf_vkGMYTrW-r6rngI075dTeZ30fFrWyz-y4k2NLcH881tZf0NQi3QBN32tI8qJyQCHZaKW6/s400/AL13.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370744576529300690" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>The view up-canyon from near the top (1500 ft cliff to Jessica's left)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6104qL0UB0rcJWcWaM13r6ugxxxifkGPOobxXSP__yBNm6VCP0zjZdBn3Y-O4mttfSleECjRL3bJOmQQkiwzLG3-FZJYmExqGlm5yZ8QE773PAxxUsCpvKSUzZ8l0KLQ02Y8OlQWplYl8/s1600-h/AL14.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6104qL0UB0rcJWcWaM13r6ugxxxifkGPOobxXSP__yBNm6VCP0zjZdBn3Y-O4mttfSleECjRL3bJOmQQkiwzLG3-FZJYmExqGlm5yZ8QE773PAxxUsCpvKSUzZ8l0KLQ02Y8OlQWplYl8/s400/AL14.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370744566528732146" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a> Sarah was even a little bit creeped by hanging her feet over 1500 ft of nothingness<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLquGNVdbTl7rvWV3mh1cYmpVXGVtw1iD_rVVEdq7NoKStIhhpHmdoEao7QUdtCjdizihwjUmHm_yMm0rIFZeDwALZHRlLROwZ7eIPVvCXU9rOO-2XI0kX9eUG59wjwvk-qXcd2lH37flv/s1600-h/AL15.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLquGNVdbTl7rvWV3mh1cYmpVXGVtw1iD_rVVEdq7NoKStIhhpHmdoEao7QUdtCjdizihwjUmHm_yMm0rIFZeDwALZHRlLROwZ7eIPVvCXU9rOO-2XI0kX9eUG59wjwvk-qXcd2lH37flv/s400/AL15.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370744560135909234" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a>At the very top!<br />
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Rick Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15215750612315646870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796860197125246594.post-67677478402734101852009-07-13T19:36:00.000-07:002014-10-04T22:38:26.521-07:00Yankee Doodle SlotJuly 13, 2009 Near Red Cliffs Recreation Area<br />
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The second day of our S Utah Adventure finds us in the early morning hours with Mike, a guide from Zion Rock and Mountain Guides, for a guided family canyoneering adventure. After fitting us all with harnesses, shoes, helmets, and other necessary equipment, we hop in our car and follow him back towards St George to a short slot canyon called Yankee Doodle Slot located at the foot of the Pine Valley Mountains north of St George. Beautiful scenery as we drive through red cliffs, dry juniper forests, and even what appears to be a very old orchard with mostly dead trees, possibly the remains of an old homesteader trying to make it in a very harsh climate. </div>
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After spotting his truck at the crossing of a gully and starting to drive down the road, our guide realizes he has left his truck at the wrong out canyon, so we go back and get it and drive a couple miles down the road to position it at the right location (just a trick I'm sure to make the day more exciting by causing us to wonder if he really knows where he's going!). We park a short mile or so down the road, get our gear on, and head for the canyon. A couple hundred yards later, we are on the edge of a narrow canyon cut deeply into the sparsely forested foothills. We sit on a rock ledge above the 30 ft drop into the canyon as Mike instructs us on how to keep from getting hurt while rapelling into the canyon (air - good! rock - bad! It hurts when you run into it). We learn the ropes (literally).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-ILETNWg7peI8cN7UIsRNd2GLJ-LpfA4zAG8bnT821CQSnKD3VQ6a-RPGUg82ylIcTUMXxGW4SLM4iiZSEO4BiKJY58tUPdtF0fbsk-xV9SSowVfMJy7roOKMJF8w0lRT_CTW6IE6GPR/s1600-h/01.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-ILETNWg7peI8cN7UIsRNd2GLJ-LpfA4zAG8bnT821CQSnKD3VQ6a-RPGUg82ylIcTUMXxGW4SLM4iiZSEO4BiKJY58tUPdtF0fbsk-xV9SSowVfMJy7roOKMJF8w0lRT_CTW6IE6GPR/s320/01.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364095207763823474" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a> </div>
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I get to go first, my first time rapelling ever. I get on rope, Mike ties off the safety line, and over the edge I go. Quite exhilirating as you back over the edge and lean back into thin air (air - good!). I walk backwards down the cliff and arrive at the bottom. Off rope, off safety, clear the landing area. Jessica and Sarah proceed to make their way down. Now it is time for Melinda, our timid nine-year old who never does anything risky, who finds a ride on Dad's shoulders nearly more excitement than she can handle. How is she going to do this? We had talked a lot about this in the months before the trip, and she wanted to do it, but now is the moment of truth. How long will Carlynn and the guide have to coax her before she backs over that edge? Will Mike have to come down with her? And then miraculously, she starts coming down, very slowly, very carefully, but no screaming, no whimpering that she doesn't want to do it any more; she just gets on rope, and with Mike's gentle instruction and encouragement, she walks backwards over the edge! And throughout the rest of the day, Mike continued to guide her with firm, but gentle words, to push herself to face her fears and do things that we could hardly believe. Not that she wasn't scared, but Mike somehow got her to do these things in spite of her fear. Seeing Melinda do the things she did was worth the entire trip.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTN1e0KBrfImr_Z-NWnvUFra3AqDjM2wgrrCEvhVskGU9Cxpv-TywTt72J3wFMk2v1uTT10zS5Jl6hXGd-VQWTEur_hHDE0C2sj8k4aFBOZ5wyeWez1JA0c3t2KVMPxq2P8yVt2PCW2lye/s1600-h/04.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTN1e0KBrfImr_Z-NWnvUFra3AqDjM2wgrrCEvhVskGU9Cxpv-TywTt72J3wFMk2v1uTT10zS5Jl6hXGd-VQWTEur_hHDE0C2sj8k4aFBOZ5wyeWez1JA0c3t2KVMPxq2P8yVt2PCW2lye/s320/04.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364095213549361490" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a></div>
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Oh, but wait, there was also incredible scenery, more rapels, and a lot of downclimbing around obstacles and through cracks. All with Mike on the ropes to help each of us according to our needs and to keep us safe. We took a little longer than we were supposed to working our way through the obstacles in the canyon, so we come to the one downside of the day - a 1.4 mile hike up the out canyon in the afternoon sun. In the slot, we were mostly shaded, but here there were just patches of shade as we worked our way up the bottom of the wash. We were down to our last drops of water and close to overheated by the time we made it out to the truck we had spotted. Back in the car with the blessed air conditioning on, we returned to our motel in Sprindale, hot, tired, and scraped up a bit, but reveling in the accomplishments of the day. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbeSZENVo3TlRTRUHhw-nG-M4N0VVrh8SNfn_r-YnEB-QL2F8qgcYG59oEIty5niaSXip4hH6J8UWDIDwpoBphPSw5mTVhLPEA4uaaTOpQ6aUxtRBckkEFKkPaKc6wWStWJQG67yDnYaNF/s1600-h/99.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbeSZENVo3TlRTRUHhw-nG-M4N0VVrh8SNfn_r-YnEB-QL2F8qgcYG59oEIty5niaSXip4hH6J8UWDIDwpoBphPSw5mTVhLPEA4uaaTOpQ6aUxtRBckkEFKkPaKc6wWStWJQG67yDnYaNF/s320/99.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364096133035705778" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixasJcfA1aB0KYqQdIS37isuW5tf4UKGhQ58bFuZbmWpZ_NyVWwMl-gkfSnF4piN2kwmi07nZPggevniDvYyYNiZ1ckmy-EBZp5dHJum26Gy2fabq4OqVw-gRh3ySXxO58AscXd_stfjPX/s1600-h/03.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixasJcfA1aB0KYqQdIS37isuW5tf4UKGhQ58bFuZbmWpZ_NyVWwMl-gkfSnF4piN2kwmi07nZPggevniDvYyYNiZ1ckmy-EBZp5dHJum26Gy2fabq4OqVw-gRh3ySXxO58AscXd_stfjPX/s320/03.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364095220968453378" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a> </div>
<img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGfWVsyOahcOB64ZXIdGV51YAKkilwqWedMxI1EXrl-nvKb_U1eFluFXIAHRQbZrpzCscDZvosQWbWI5tPPetdhSFUfrt3R8BAYhrZrJUV5GUAK6QFSf4Vxc0_6TJUBgOx-QUsfK6dCd9G/s320/05.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364393349940104610" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlzmd3FvmbWjdZY_rTV1AMD-iqFQ7qDEPFC9H9_j4Esm4GEpFiKpa6VSfGQV_aSNRi8GM53bNOJlAPicz22XHayISjlqeYw0teJQhThdVVpYnUSGZWWRAEf7FSnljmLpClZGOsK6iYRZQ/s1600-h/02.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlzmd3FvmbWjdZY_rTV1AMD-iqFQ7qDEPFC9H9_j4Esm4GEpFiKpa6VSfGQV_aSNRi8GM53bNOJlAPicz22XHayISjlqeYw0teJQhThdVVpYnUSGZWWRAEf7FSnljmLpClZGOsK6iYRZQ/s320/02.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364095225258343650" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a></div>
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<img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOYrYD4XsxPaDfleO7UjqwQShJ4GqXdq13ZJ417SIfq57PWB4caX_b94jE8KBz3XuK702Po5jnDhaj5fVlXScVm0JX0jpeNEVnwgNzeNNAYnVgsb_rhtWq5tcm4wYQwQEaHHOJh7QaFW0A/s320/05.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364392668642834194" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHMQh14UXJpru4QPCqQd-Gwtjy5viVdlwYkue7p5KJ5_fC5PyqPBN1YiZNqj-mHBiQyVuDac3myzaeDz4DzrZ04R1KJ5ssttuoqhPUBm_WCFIVRHbcCX1i8eYslbi6lfGdBKo_XFCAGYpU/s1600-h/999.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHMQh14UXJpru4QPCqQd-Gwtjy5viVdlwYkue7p5KJ5_fC5PyqPBN1YiZNqj-mHBiQyVuDac3myzaeDz4DzrZ04R1KJ5ssttuoqhPUBm_WCFIVRHbcCX1i8eYslbi6lfGdBKo_XFCAGYpU/s320/999.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364096138623149906" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a> </div>
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Rick Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15215750612315646870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796860197125246594.post-28161034855439923052009-07-12T18:39:00.000-07:002014-10-04T22:37:56.108-07:00Shelf CanyonZion NP - July 12, 2009<br />
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The first day of our S Utah vacation. After attending church in Hurricane, we milled around the Zion visitor center while waiting to check into the Canyon Ranch Motel in Springdale (a nice value, clean spacious rooms, a shaded grassy area in the middle of the units, clean outdoor pool, friendly managers). After getting settled, we set out in the early evening to check out a hike on the east side of Zion just past the big tunnel. I'd found the description of the Shelf Canyon hike in my months of searching the internet and planning for this trip. It is a half-mile hike into a narrow canyon that narrows down to a slot at the end of the canyon. It is not an official trail, nor signed, nor anything. The mouth of Shelf Canyon is located at the canyon overlook parking lot on the north side of the road about 500 ft east of the canyon overlook trail. <br />
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We arrived to a traffic jam due to the presence of a herd of 20 to 30 bighorn sheep on the south side of the road (well, a Zion NP traffice jam, not a Yellowstone traffic jam, which meant about 15 cars filling the small lot). We eventually found space to park, loaded up the packs, and set off to find the trail into the canyon. It was a beautiful evening, 80 degrees or so, shaded by the mountains from the evening sun.<br />
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We found the trail down into the canyon on the east side of the canyon, dropping into the canyon from the shoulder of the highway. As we started down we found a couple stray sheep just off the trail. <br />
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Once in the bottom of the canyon, we started up the slickrock bottom. The first part of the trail was a mixture of walking in the sandy bed of the wash along with quite a bit of slickrock scrambling as we worked our way back up into the canyon. It narrowed down quite a bit, and there were a few tricky places where you had to work your way up and across fairly steep sandstone faces to get around big boulders or pools. Difficult enough to make it fun and a little exciting. Melinda, our 9-year old was frightened by a few of the passages, but was able to do it with my help. Coming down I used a short length of rope around the girls in one place for safety in case of a slip.<br />
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As we progressed up, the canyon narrowed, trees and brush drew in closer, and the walls grew higher. Then suddenly in front of us, the canyon narrowed to a slot. Yes! Just what we were looking for! <br />
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We entered the slot, shoulder width at its narrowest, splashed through a short, ankle deep pool, and began climbing broken sandstone boulders as we neared the end of the canyon. After a short scramble, the canyon ends in a narrow, dark slot, with numerous shelfs and ledges, really quite a fun place to explore. And from the dark canyon bottom, you look up past the sheer, red sandstone walls close by on either side of you to the narrow slit of light far above. This is it! This is what we came to explore on this vacation - cliffs and canyons with a unique beauty unlike anywhere else! A great short hike/scamble to start our trip.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlsju4GwM5J8ooQ9cRr5HFKtMaLHKvub25s3wohOVhlaAL9Lz3tNIiPrWqpcyZjpFfpt8l10JnMJx95CexDLUCmP_V2-JDuVlNPmh7MU6NA5MMG3dRyKW88rcyv3moBALUl7uLIALMsXDv/s1600-h/Shelf+Canyon+Family+Picrsz.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlsju4GwM5J8ooQ9cRr5HFKtMaLHKvub25s3wohOVhlaAL9Lz3tNIiPrWqpcyZjpFfpt8l10JnMJx95CexDLUCmP_V2-JDuVlNPmh7MU6NA5MMG3dRyKW88rcyv3moBALUl7uLIALMsXDv/s320/Shelf+Canyon+Family+Picrsz.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362971600372998562" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>Rick Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15215750612315646870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796860197125246594.post-43587708150530423172009-05-12T22:42:00.000-07:002009-05-12T23:18:49.842-07:00To the end of the earth and back....<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZiJAYfoi-Qt-xwVb-7EHCwr5fpfZUS5ltZYBoK5gJwVBYiPhcDiuzOX-nwnaJkFCZONFQNKH8mZCFNltsrmfmUbtET4XH5kvpKhHOCVXGDqwvGXgHI7DxZazt3_QfEzL7AQ9qFYhqyPZ/s1600-h/Showy+Phlox_Phlox+speciosa_Frenchman+Coulee+032.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnZiJAYfoi-Qt-xwVb-7EHCwr5fpfZUS5ltZYBoK5gJwVBYiPhcDiuzOX-nwnaJkFCZONFQNKH8mZCFNltsrmfmUbtET4XH5kvpKhHOCVXGDqwvGXgHI7DxZazt3_QfEzL7AQ9qFYhqyPZ/s320/Showy+Phlox_Phlox+speciosa_Frenchman+Coulee+032.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335188938026257442" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLUdTUFGpv_oeCGpEDDlMC69UsX9DJgaW1orNMy10ASR_23bCXNZTxkvqBUhg8u8ncYsc2qqI7Jx_B8NmnP8c52jiAgqKVrDoxKFmr0cuTCaI8T7GaRfOcx3iyV0GPylJWJJqcD-3D5BGe/s1600-h/Thyme-leaf+Buckwheat+Flower_Eriogonum+Thymoides_Frenchman+Coulee.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLUdTUFGpv_oeCGpEDDlMC69UsX9DJgaW1orNMy10ASR_23bCXNZTxkvqBUhg8u8ncYsc2qqI7Jx_B8NmnP8c52jiAgqKVrDoxKFmr0cuTCaI8T7GaRfOcx3iyV0GPylJWJJqcD-3D5BGe/s320/Thyme-leaf+Buckwheat+Flower_Eriogonum+Thymoides_Frenchman+Coulee.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335188934389884706" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7SU_wewl337thQd-jjxRhHKR-niUM4zxLZxf8u36gxBOPo3HoS5IBwe4TSoqI9vYRa1Kinnyvnggc4-VV0jr025ljIQ1UyrJKdyVXcbbrnyATrWshk-LadXmbhcw_ETSHMoeaLdkUbbB9/s1600-h/Hairy+Balsamroot_2_Balsamorhiza+hookeri_Frenchman+Coulee.jpg"><img style="float:left; 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margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhJc3MYUSaXIqUvQf6PkosAwM7lnn1uDUcxj94kewajqbecsTgpERkz-6YjUZE0FkcHD_8Rn45zWDL4q0aLpHrVRbMkWjt-yvWw00qJRi_XpkGLZjqzVjIvp5QGtwIODxMCJ59DkQFqJ5/s320/Bitterroot+on+edge+of+cliff_Frenchman+Coulee.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335188079793977682" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEeOgUKGeIx_x8Wr9qGxJ3tdCYcYiP3b9mXN76dXL5mh8t2kzC1e30XN1Nb_Pj_JiMcnpORs6PurFTEZU-63gycJLJ9JVhA7u2fx-u-ozpru9SCEYN7ZYsiHIwWdBODoqQkDbgJSUZIRDw/s1600-h/Bitterroot_Lewisia+rediviva+_Frenchman+Coulee.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEeOgUKGeIx_x8Wr9qGxJ3tdCYcYiP3b9mXN76dXL5mh8t2kzC1e30XN1Nb_Pj_JiMcnpORs6PurFTEZU-63gycJLJ9JVhA7u2fx-u-ozpru9SCEYN7ZYsiHIwWdBODoqQkDbgJSUZIRDw/s320/Bitterroot_Lewisia+rediviva+_Frenchman+Coulee.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335188076088394658" /></a><br />I went hiking last Saturday to the end of the earth and back. For those who remember the movie "The Gods Must Be Crazy", the bushman goes on a long journey to throw the evil Coke bottle off the end of the earth, a big cliff overlooking an expansive valley. Just a couple minutes off the freeway in the middle of Washington is Frenchman Coulee, an amazing place carved out of the basalt by the ice age floods (one of my favorite topics, just ask my kids!). An easy hike takes you up on a basalt rib between two expansive coulees. The rib rises 300 feet above the coulee floor, much of it in sheer basalt columns. A little less than a mile hike takes you to the end of the rib, where you look out over an expansive vista, nearly 360 degrees, from the south alcove of the coulee, down and up the Columbia river, and around to the north alcove, a view rivaling the end of the earth from the movie.<br /><br />A trip in late April/early May is rewarded by an amazing profusion of wildflowers, my favorite of all being the bitterroot, which pops up seemingly out of bare rock with a delicate beauty that I think is hard to match in any other flower. This is one of my new favorite places!Rick Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15215750612315646870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1796860197125246594.post-60553121435926921542009-03-09T17:50:00.000-07:002009-03-09T18:07:23.121-07:00Why pigburner?<span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:85%;">Hmmm, first attempt at blogging, what should I say..... Well, how about an explanation of my unusual user name, pigburner. Where in the world did such a name come from? Several years ago I worked for a company that processed radioactive waste in a glass furnace. One day we got a shipment of slightly radioactive, frozen pigs from a pharmaceutical company. How to get them into the furnace? Would they get squeezed through the auger that pushed the waste into the furnace, or would they jam it up? Everyone had a different opinion, so we just went ahead and tried it. Drop it down the chute. Watch on the video feed as it bounces around. Then it catches in a flight of the screw, starts turning into sausage you might say, and disappears into the furnace. One of the techs says, "I wish the camera were in color!" Oh well, I'm digressing from the point of this entry. We fed the rest of the pigs into the furnace in the same way with no problems. Of course I had to tell my family about the doings at work that day. Some time later, my oldest daughter (probably about 9 or 10 yrs old at the time) was asked what her dad did at work. She promptly recounted the most memorable thing she knew, "He burns radioactive pigs!" And so came about the nom de plume, pigburner.</span>Rick Merrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15215750612315646870noreply@blogger.com0