Every year, as per tradition, my family along with my in-laws (Hunts of Mesa) and who ever else expresses interest, spend the day on the lower Salt River. Don't get this part of the river confused with the "boobie" salt river. We enter the waters a couple miles down stream from the shenanigans. We jump in with various floatation devices (kayaks, tubes, etc.) and float 4 miles down to Granite Reef, stopping half way to have a picnic and throw rocks.
Above: Us driving back home. (We're this happy all the time though)
Just got back from an awesome backpacking trip with my lover Holly (aka Hot Wife). We went with our amigos Lynn & Cameo (random fact: We share the anniversary of September 11, 1998). 2 well spent days in Aravaipa Canyon.
We saw 5 other people, 2 Coues deer, some kind of white skunk and FIRE FLYS!
So it's getting hot outside and we have no pool. We needed an indoor hobby. Best solution? Expand our horizons from Outdoor rec. to jamming the guitar! Toby's hip hop class is "rapping" up next week and he's now transitioning to the guitar. The younger girls are staying in dance and Tianne is doing some piano (looking for voice too). BTW we found the best guitar instructor ever (Gene Simmons!) jk.
I love spending time with my boys (outdoors). We try to do a father & sons trip every year. We spent a little quality time at Roosevelt Lake this past weekend.
We invited 9 friends to join us this year (2 came with their boys). We were glad Nick and Jason (not a couple) were able to make it with their boys. Picture it: fishing, camping, boating, swimming, eating, chilling, and glow sticks. We forgot the marshmallows :( and still had a good time! And that my friend, is how you measure success.
It has been said that any journey or great adventure begins with a single step. This I have found to be true. In my own experience, any journey or adventure is greatly intensified by adding children. I learned this by carrying an extra 15-20 lbs of "stuff" in my pack. I am so excited that my kids are starting to reach the age where they can make a meaningful contribution to our adventures.
Facts:
1) When you plan a Grand Canyon trip, reservations generally have to be made 3 months in advance. We planned this trip in January.
2) I worked 12 shifts in a row, up until the day before this trip. Therefore, I did not pay attention to the 90% chance of rain (at the bottom) and expectation of 6-12 inches of snow (on top) until the day before we left.
3) Craigslist is amazing. No need to ever cancel a trip because of in-climate weather. I found a 4 person backpacking tent (brand new), just 10 hours before we left on our trip.
Front from left: Toby 10, Tianne 12, Brian 13 (Mark's son), Mark
Back row: Me, Jamie (my brother)
We hiked down South Kaibab Trail and spent 2 nights at Bright Angel campground (next to Phantom Ranch). On the third day we hiked out on Bright Angel Trail.
Day 1. Overcast, windy, sprinkles
Day 2. Overcast, sprinkles, rain, and rain all night
Day 3. More rain, snow the last 4 miles out.
We Had a great time, despite the weather and long exhausting hikes. Mainly because we ate well, and caught a fish.
Look how happy we are at the end of our adventure.
See video below for slide show
Lucy is my daughters Christmas present and our family's best friend. She's a 5 month old "Aussiedoodle". LIKES: attention, treats, fetch, and tug of war. DISLIKES: people who do not complete her likes list.
My brother-in-law, his cousin simply known as Steve, and I spent 4 days backpacking in the Grand Canyon's rugged back country in an area known as The Gems, named after the side canyons in the area (Ruby, Saphire, Turquoise, etc). This trip was highly discouraged by the park service. Partly because the road to the trail head (South Bass trail head) had recently received a lot of snow, was very muddy, and on a dry day usually requires a 4X4. Secondly, we planned our 50 mile death march in a 4 day trip (side note: Don't put 50 mile death march on the permit request, raises Red Flags). To get the permits to do the trip, the park service required us to sign additional wavers. The wavers were signed without hesitation. Thats just how we roll.
Left to right: Steve, Nate, R-Dub, not pictured Rex (our driver)
