Canyoneering in the Middle Fork of the Maidenwater

Last weekend we went canyoneering! It was my first time and there's a good chance it was my last. It was actually really difficult. But we made it through!

We drove down on Friday night to Hanksville, UT, which is a pretty tiny town. We had made reservations in the local motel and got there about 9:30pm. When we arrived, an envelope with our name on it was taped to the office door with our room keys inside. That was a first!

The next morning we were planning to eat out for breakfast but there wasn't really a place to eat before lunch within an hour of driving. So we ate the muffins and fruit I brought and then headed out to the canyon which was about a half hour from Hanksville, in the opposite direction of civilization.

It took us about two hours to hike up to the place where we got into the canyon. The weather was the right temperature for hiking--not too cold or hot. It had been very cold earlier that week--13 degrees one morning--but fortunately not this day. It got a little chilly in the canyon in the shade when we were waiting to do the rappelling.

Scott was pleased when we found the geological survey marker he remembered from the time he did this canyon before.

Eventually we got into the canyon. Something I didn't realize earlier was that once you are in, it's pretty difficult to get out any other way than rappelling and walking out.

Mindy looks like a pro but this was actually really anxiety-producing for her. I'm glad she was able to do it.

We had to do a lot of rappels, probably 10 or 11. Plus a few times where we had to shimmy down between the rocks. There are no pictures of me rappelling but I also did it and had the injuries to prove it--nothing severe just scrapes. And a twisted ankle which fortunately didn't hurt too much until we started driving home. If anything serious had happened, it would have been really difficult to get out and get help. We didn't see anyone else the entire time. So I'm really grateful we were fine.

It took much longer than we anticipated--about 7 hours total.

At the very end, we had to walk through a tunnel that went under the road.

By the end, the girls and I were exhausted.

To get back to the car, we had to climb up this very steep hill with some very loose dirt and rocks.

It was hard but we did it!

Comments

Visiting Susquehanna: The Priesthood Restoration Site

On our way home from Palmyra, we decided to go a couple of hours out of our way to visit the recently opened Priesthood Restoration Site along the Susquehanna River. This is where we believe that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery received the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood from John the Baptist which gave them the authority to baptize. This site also has the restored Isaac and Elizabeth Hale home where Joseph and Emma lived for a year as well as the home where Joseph and Emma lived on their own. We spent a couple of hours there and I wouldn't have minded a few more minutes but we had a long way to go that night. It's a beautiful setting, very much in rural Pennsylvania. However, on the day we were there, cars at a racetrack nearby were detracting from the peace and quiet. I'm guessing that's not as big of a problem on weekdays. The Hale Family was quite well-off for their day so their home was probably nicely decorated with wallpaper and carpet. ...

Book Review: Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

This is a juvenile fiction book about a young girl named Melody with severe cerebral palsy. Her body doesn't allow her to feed herself, speak, or do much at all. She's very intelligent with a photographic memory but she can't really communicate. Finally, in 5th grade, she gets a "Medi-Talker" which is a computer that speaks what she types in. Finally she has a voice. This book explores what it is like to be severely physically disabled but not mentally disabled. It seems like one of the most frustrating of all scenarios. She is completely aware of all the cruelty (subtle and otherwise) that her classmates inflict on her because they don't really want to include her in their activities. One of the saddest moments in the book comes when she realizes that every one of her special ed classmates is kind, where the "normal" ones are not. Who really has the worse disability? The book was a quick read and fairly enjoyable. Wha...

Do Dots Family System

The original post was written in January of 2015. I wrote an update at the bottom of this post in March 2021. A few months ago, a friend of mine told me about something she was doing in her family to help her family function better. Her teenage autistic son had been struggling a lot so they had been working with behavior therapists to help him and this "Do Dots Family System" had been recommended. As she described it, I was greatly intrigued since it sounded like something I wanted to implement at my own house. I looked into it and decided to purchase it right after Thanksgiving. Here is my review of how it has worked for us over the last six weeks or so. The basic idea of the chart is that children need to take care of their responsibilities before they get any privileges. It strongly reinforces the concept of "Work Before Play" . The chart helps children see in a very visual way that, until they have completed their responsibilities, they are on Le...

Search This Blog