Sasquatch Sighting

Laurie, Natalie and Emma came to town, so we decided to do with them what we do best -- take a hike!

Unfortunately for my hiking-loving family, I heard about the book Missing411. Have you heard of it?  Do you and your family a favor and don't let your researching into the book extend beyond this blog post. It started innocently enough. I heard the book investigated missing person cases in national forests that haven't really been solved or didn't have a real explanation to them once the person's body was found. Interesting, right?

Well I didn't realize going into my week-long obsession with Missing411 that the books had Big Foot/UFO undertones. So I was neck deep in Big Foot stories before I realized these stories were pointing to Big Foot as the explanation...and then I had no choice but to believe them.

So you can imagine my hesitation to enter the forest after hearing of countless stories of people mysteriously being snatched from the forest without a trace. And then, when I finally braved up and entered a national forest for the first time since hearing about all these stories, I had an encounter with Big Foot!

I realized it was me all along. Sar-squatch lives.

We hiked Adams Canyon which starts with a test of endurance in the form of sand-covered switchbacks that only seemed to hinder the adults.

We conveniently used pictures the whole way up as an excuse to stop and catch our breath.

Carson scoped out the view from atop a rock with his cousins and our second Big Foot encounter.

Onward, ever onward.

Lincoln fell asleep just in time to miss the creek stop.

Natalie and Emma dared to approach Squatch 2.

This is where my dad was having a tender moment reflecting on his brother's recent funeral which made him wonder which pictures people would use of him at his funeral. As I was snapping this picture he said, "This could be shown at my funeral." Which was a little unsettling until my mom chimed in with, "Well then take your hat off!"

I get my compassion and sensitivity from my mother. We just want to make sure you go out looking good, Dad!

Jeff stayed behind with my older boys while I continued on with the group up the mountain.

This picture is an accurate representation of our outing because at the end we were literally rock climbing. Which would have been a fun little adventure had I not had an infant strapped to my stomach. A sigh of relief from the whole group accompanied my footing each time I reached steady ground.

Lincoln was a trooper! He didn't make a peep the whole time, even the one time my foot half slipped and I gave him a slight case of whiplash. Other than that we carried on without incident...

Unless you want to count the half hour we were lost as an incident. For all the people we had in our group, you would have thought one of us would have sooner realized we had missed a critical turn. But we trudged through the mountain on a skinny trail slowly questioning our route only to discover our mistake after it was too late and our only option was to keep trudging. We eventually saw human life again and were able to reroute back to the main trail. 

Lincoln was smitten by the Thomas Girls. I would say the Thomas Girls were also smitten with him, but that time he spit-up in Natalies hair may have changed their minds, so I'll let them speak for themselves.

My Uncle Mark and his family were in town the same weekend as Laurie, so we did a birthday celebration of the century as we sliced each kid a square of brownie, threw a candle on it, and made every child's candle extinguishing dreams come true. All whilst preventing the community brownie from being showered in excited saliva. Genius!

I love an excuse to get together. Who's coming to town next?!?