New Years Eve

We had a couple of good snow storms last week after Christmas. Most of the snow had melted off at the lower elevations but I was determined to get up into the top of Zion and get some shots of the snowcovered cliffs. Our family was in town to celebrate New Years with us and my father in law is a photography and outdoor nut like me so I thought he might enjoy the drive too.
We drove into the top of Zion Canyon up to Kolob Lake. We didnt see much snow until we got to the top. The lake was frozen over for the most part. It wouldnt have been safe to walk on. This has been an unusual year for us as we should have a lot deeper snow pack by the end of December and our temperatures this year have been really mild. We made our way back and stopped at different points for us to get shots of some of the more interesting sites. We did a short hike below the snow line of the Kolob Cliffs where the sun was shinning and the temperatures were in the upper 40s. Great hiking weather! After a great day of sightseeing we headed home for a few relaxing drinks and got ready to celebrate the incoming of the new year.

Back In The Saddle

I got my boot off yesterday! Finally! I can hike again. I had been out doing short hikes and taking pictures but its been torture. If your a photographer you know what I mean. To stand there taking pictures and looking down a trail where you know there is better shots. Its like starving and watching someone eat! I took my first hike with my son Stevie down the trail along the narrows in Zion Canyon. It was a cold windy day but it still felt great to get out. With the wind blowing through the canyon there wasnt any people who wanted to venture to far into the canyon. We hiked a mile in to the point where we would have to go from the trail into the river. It was 30 degrees without the windchill so when I asked Stevie if he wanted to hike up the river he looked at me like I had a third eye sprouting from my head!
We turned around and started hiking back. By the time we made it back to the truck I was glad we hadnt gone any farther. My foot was starting to sing out to me to let me know it was not happy! On the way out of the canyon we stopped to watch some of the mule deer laying out in the sun. It was a great day to be out and now I can slowly get my foot back into shape before spring. Im looking forward to some great long hikes and lots of photo ops!