Spanish Fork Campout

Since Nate had two weeks of paternity leave, we decided to go on a camping trip during the second week with the hope that it would be a good opportunity for everyone to have fun and work together. We didn't go far...we camped in Spanish Fork next to the Reservoir there. That worked out well because we all had fun playing in the reservoir and there was also a playground. In fact, swimming is the first thing we did after setting up camp that Tuesday afternoon.

After swimming, we returned to our campsite to make Dutch Oven BBQ chicken and cheesy potatoes for dinner. Then we hiked the Escalante Cross, as recommended by my brother. Unfortunately, his distance estimates of the trail were off, and we ended up on a longer hike than intended.

We ended up at the top in time to see the sunset. The lighting was stunning that way, but it also put us back to camp for s'mores and bed pretty late.

After breakfast Wednesday morning we headed out to hike Diamond Fork Hot Springs. The last time we hiked here was about 12 years ago, and it was here that Nate first held my hand. The hiking was slow with Austin and Emma, so it ended up taking us almost all day.

Last time I was there it was dark, so it was fun this time to actually see the pools and waterfall at the end of the trail. There is even a hole under the waterfall that you can go up and stick your head through if you want.

 
Austin and Emma didn't like to get too far into the hot water, but they seemed to enjoy themselves anyway. Zipper is not usually one to like swimming much, so she waited for us patiently in the shade.

The hike was not without incident though. Emma slipped and fell almost immediately after we started back. She barely scratched her leg (there was definitely no sign of blood or anything close to it), but she refused to continue our hike back for a good long while. It took quite awhile for us to resume our return trip. Then, later on about 2/3 of the way back, Austin raced ahead of me so he could be in the front. Since he had been complaining of being tired moments before, I complimented him on his newfound energy. In response, he slowed his pace to a near standstill right in front of me. Unable to adjust my own pace that quickly, I accidentally stepped on the back of his shoe, knocking if off his foot and sending it flying in a perfect arch, all while spinning beautifully over Austin's head, over the wooden fence, and down the steep embankment toward the river below. Luckily, the shoe landed on the river bank; in other spots along the trail a river bank didn't exist. And fortunately, after some searching, we found a safe way to climb down and retrieve Austin's shoe. I was extremely grateful we hadn't lost Austin's shoe forever in the river.

After eating a very late lunch upon finishing our hike and a quick stop to get some ice from the store, we returned to camp and went for a short swim. Then we went out for dinner. We still returned to camp to have some s'mores for dessert though.

After another French toast breakfast Thursday morning, we packed up and headed home. Despite the fact that camping is always a lot of work, it was a successful trip and we had a lot of fun on it too.