Canyoneering, with guns...

Ohhhh, the joy of Labor Day. We get into the first week of school and we’re already ready for a break. Thank you workers of America for being so awesome that you deserve a holiday. And it’s always one of the most fun weekends of the year. Freshman year I floated the Provo River, the next year I went to Bear Lake for jet skiing, and last year I went up to Park City with my fam. This year we topped them all, yet again. A) I got to spend it with one of my best friends. B) We got to spend it in the mountains. What more could you ask for? And just like every other year, it was super last minute on my part. Candice’s friend Adam already had everything planned and Candice was going with him and a bunch of his friends. I jumped on board Saturday night. I don’t know what it is about that weekend, but it brings out the spontaneity in me.

After scrambling around Sunday after church (mostly on my part), we left at 5:30 for Zion’s National Park, down in southern Utah. There were eight of us in two cars.  Our car listened to this incredible fireside called “Conversion of a Catholic” by Bill Carpenter. Hoooooly cow. If you want a big dose of feel-really-good-about-the-Gospel-and-about-life-and-miracles, look that talk up. Wow. So we were feeling pretty great when we stopped to stay the night. On the side of the road. In the middle of nowhere. There was this nice little dirt lot off the side of the highway we were taking over to the park. Someone set up a little tent, another slept in their car, and the rest of us laid out a tent to use as a tarp and slept under the stars. It was a perfect night and you could see everything. I love the sky, especially away from all the light pollution. Then it really comes alive. We talked for a while, just soaking it in. I can’t help but fall in love with the earth, over and over again, every time I get to spend some time with it. I know that sounds kinda cheesy, but it’s so true. I always always feel rejuvenated after an outdoor adventure, even if I’m physically exhausted.

We woke up around 6:00am to head into the park and pick up our pass at 7:00. Then we piled everyone into one car and drove up to the trailhead of Orderville Canyon, which is actually outside Zion’s but you hike down into Zion’s. So for those of you who are wondering what the heck canyoneering is, according to Wikipedia it is “traveling in canyons using a variety of techniques that may include other outdoor activities such as walking, scrambling, climbing, jumping, abseiling (rappelling), and/or swimming” (I didn’t know “scrambling” was an outdoor activity of its own). You only take one car to the trailhead because you just hike down the canyon. If your hike includes some rappels, which ours did, you can’t get back up, unless you brought some trad gear. Eleven miles was enough of a hike on its own anyway, even though this downhill was much nicer to us than Timp.

We started the hike around 8:30 and finished around 5:00pm. So a good eight and a half hours spent in one of the most beautiful places ever. Canyons are so majestic. You’ve got these beautiful rock walls towering over you on either side. The red rock plus the green trees plus the blue sky equals perfection. None of my pictures do it justice. It’s just something you have to experience. We probably hiked a good five miles before a stream started forming. We did rappel down into some nasty water the first time. I went down barefoot so I didn’t have to get my shoes all yucky (I knew I should have bought those chocos…) and I sank into about six inches of mud and who knows what else on the bottom of this pool that went up past my waist. So fun though. There were two rappels total, neither of them very high. We hiked down waterfalls and swam through some parts of the now river and eventually hooked up with the Narrows, one of the sites in Zion’s. It was a super nice hike. It was the perfect temperature the whole way, thanks to the shade. The water was nice and cool, but not cold, and it was fun to play in. We saw this big owl and mountain goats and lizards and frogs. Such a good day. All I know is my future family is going to looooooove these kind of adventures, because we’re going to be doing a lot of them.

The yummy water we got to rappel into.

The girls.

Once we made it to the Narrows trailhead there was a free shuttle to take us back to the visitors center so we could get the other car. Now the only problem was that we had put basically all our stuff in this car. And there were eight of us. I don’t know how we did it, but we fit all of us and all of our stuff in that car and made it, without incident, back to the car at the trailhead. We didn’t get back until about 1:00am and I didn’t get to bed until 2:00. And as always, 8:00am class. That also seems to happen every Labor Day weekend. I’m seeing a pattern here. But it’s worth it every time.

In other news, this past Friday I went shooting for the first time! That’s right, real guns. I was so excited. And it was so fun. Our (whenever I say “our” or “we” I’m usually referring to Candice and I) friend Jarren is in the Army and he has a .22, .45, and some military rifle. He brought a couple friends and the five of us went out to Lincoln’s Point with an old microwave that needed to be destroyed. And destroy it we did. Now that I have most of my rock climbing gear, I think I’d like to buy a gun next and add shooting to my collection of favorite hobbies. Not kidding. A concealed weapons permit will be in the works soon. Creepers, you’ve been warned.

Other than that, I’m now two and a half weeks into another semester. Meaning I only have twelve and a half more to go. Yes, I’m already counting down. Habit. I actually really like all my classes so far. I feel like I’m learning useful, real-world things. It’s less conceptual, more practical, and a whole lot more interesting. Plus I get to go hangout with my friends in class all day. Gotta love it. It’s going to be a great semester, I just know it. Life is so great and I am so thankful for everything and everyone that is a part of it. I’ve never been so happy in my entire life. I have nothing to fear or worry about. I know my life is in good Hands.