Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Traffic Jam in Adam's Canyon

Labor day. No school and no work. Kyle and Jordann (his friend-that-is-a-girl) wanted to do something. I'm not sure if it was Kyle's idea or Jim's idea but someone thought it would be a great day for a hike up to the waterfall in Adam's Canyon. And it was. The day started out a little chilly and breezy, just right for being outside. The forecast was for the high temperature to be in the high 70's to low 80's. (have I ever mentioned how much I love fall in Utah? I think I have!) The bad part about it being the perfect day for a hike is that lots and lots of other people noticed it also. There were SOOOO many people on the trail. Jim and the boys have been up there several times. He said he has never seen it that busy, ever! Monday was my first time all the way up to the waterfall. When we got to the the top there were about 8-10 groups up there taking pictures and having lunch. We found a place to sit and tried our best to enjoy what we had packed for our lunch.

You need to know something about me before I go on. It bothers me when people don't watch what their kids are doing. I have tried to teach my kids to be aware of their surroundings and be respectful to others around them. I don't want them to be those loud or obnoxious kids that make you wonder who their parents are. I understand that little girls like to scream and little boys like to run and jump. But there needs to be a level of respect to those you are sharing public space with. A few little screams from a little girl is not as bad as letting her scream at will. Boys running and throwing rocks is fine as long as they aren't hurting or bothering anyone else. Kids have natural tenancies, parents are there to keep them in check!

That being said, it would have been a perfectly relaxing half hour or so up at the waterfall except for that one group. The one with the boy waving sticks around like swords, throwing rocks all over, running around and between other groups, and with dogs off their leashes. To top it all off, they were all being supervised by the dad that yelled idle threats with a booming voice but never got up off his seat to do anything about it. The dogs kept coming over and sniffing my lunch and the boy finally hit someone with his stick sword.

We were able to take a few pictures. We forgot the camera but I had my phone. Good thing it takes OK pictures.

This is me keeping an eye on what my son is doing. I don't think he was bothering anyone else in the vicinity.


When we had enough, we started back down the trail. I think there may have been more people on the trail on our way down! All in all, it was a great way to spend time with Kyle and Jordann on a lovely almost-fall day.

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Now as a side note, sorry if it sounds like I am a bit grumpy as I write this, it's probably because I am. Grumpy that my body is still recovering from that hike that should have been no big deal. I feel REALLY bad for my husband who has to put up with me and my "condition". He is Mr. Adventure. He loves to get out and do fun things. I love to also but it just takes so much out of me now. I am fine when I go for my daily walk. In fact, I could walk all day long. I love walking. But I used to love running. I used to be able to do lots of things I can't do anymore. Well, I can, but I pay for it later. If my heart rate gets too high I get dizzy. If I push myself too hard I need extra time to recover. Poor Jim had to wait for me several times along the trail and that was super frustrating for me. But not for him. He was so patient. I should be more patient with myself but I remember all the things I used to be able to do. I don't like feeling like an 80 year old when my body isn't even 40 yet. When we got home from our hike, I showered and laid down to rest for a bit. I fell asleep for four hours! I got up and made dinner, then I went back to bed and slept all night! There are a lot of times I avoid doing things because I know it will wipe me out. Most days I am just grateful my family is so helpful and that things aren't worse than they are. But sometimes, especially when I want to keep up with Mr. Adventure, I get frustrated with what my body is going through knowing that it most likely will not get better and slowly get worse.

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