Our Hikes Part 1

I decided that I needed to write specifically about the fun hikes our family has went on and enjoyed recently.

1st Hike of the Season

We started out with Donut Falls in June. I can't remember if it was the 19th or 26th of June (I am leaning towards the 19th). We had to wait that long cause June was just soooo cold and wet in the beginning.

Donut falls was a blast. The kids loved it.

We loved it. As we were driving up, we saw a moose and her calf in the swamps off the side of the road. We pulled over and took some pictures. It was so fun and amazing to experience wildlife like that only 20 minutes from our home.

The hike to donut falls is not really a hike...it is a nice little saunter through the woods. The girls

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loved it. When we got to the water, we found that the donut part had actually collapsed. We climbed along the side (probably more than we should have with a 5 and 7 year old) and had a blast. The water was cold and rushing so we were careful, especially with the girls.

The hike took us about 2 hours but most of that was playing in the water. The overall length was about 1.5 miles round trip.












2nd Hike of the Season

This hike was to Ensign Peak. We went on June 30. We decided to go up right before the sun set so we could watch the sunset from the peak. That was such a GREAT idea. It was VERY VERY windy but it was also warm so the wind was welcomed.

Although the hike to Ensign Peak is not long...the incline felt soooo steep! The round trip hike is only about 0.85 miles so it isn't far up...you just feel it in your legs!

Katy and Lyse both loved taking some pictures. It was so fun being up on top of the peak, watching the sunset as a family. We talked to the girls a little about what Ensign Peak was and why it was so important.

Personally, I enjoyed being able to kiss my sweetheart as we watched the sunset...something we don't do often enough.

It was beautiful and we THOROUGHLY enjoyed the family time! On the way back down, Lyse was on the look out for bear and deer. She was hoping we could catch some...but WAY too busy yelling for us to be quiet! I love that little thing. She just cracks me up!













3rd Hike of the Season

For this one we got a bit more bold. We decided we wanted to do something over 2 miles. We decided we would hike the trails that are above Silver Lake up Big Cottonwood Canyon. We had some subway points so we stopped and grabbed the footlong and headed up the canyon.

We ate our picnic lunch on some boulders just off the path,next to silver lake then headed up the trail. Each person had their own water and a couple little snack in their bags.

After headed up the path, we came to a fork in the path and hadto pick between Twin Lakes and Lake Solitude. Another hiker said with children if we wanted to do the loop around Twin Lakes and Lake Solitude, it was easiest to go up to Lake Solitude first. Not knowing or caring about the difference, we headed up towards Lake Solitude.

Katy was our TROOPER! Lyse 5 minutes in was saying her legs hurt and honestly Katy did not once say she was tired, needed to rest, etc.When we asked Lyse to be the line leader, she did much better.
Some parts of the hike were just absolutely amazing. I love nature. I LOVE hiking along trails that you have trees rustling around you and the smell of pine in the air. It is invigorating and relaxing all at once!

Lake Solitude was rather dull and there wasn't really anywhere you could sit and enjoy. As we hiked around the lake to find the trail that led down to the Twin Lakes,

Ben found a cave. He named it the "Candy Mountain Cave" and him and the girls went in. I was too much of a whimp and stayed and and took pictures...and chastising Ben of the danger of it all :)




The South side of the Lake had some snow and the girls and Ben enjoyed some snowball throwing. That is always fun to do in July! :)

After searching for a bit, we realized we weren't going to find the other trail. Both girls were getting tired, so we decided to head down the trail. On the way down the trail, Lyse informed us she could hear and interpret what the birds were saying. The birds told her that the bears were coming soon, so we needed to hurrying down the trail. As each bird would tweet and sing, she would interpret a fun little story.

As we reached the bottom of the trail I saw a Bull Moose get mad and start charging across Silver Lake. I yelled, "There's a moose" and we all ran to go see it. What an amazing way to finish the hike. The rangers informed us the moose was overall safe as long as we didn't provoke it because it wasn't mating season. We walked along the boardwalks and walked RIGHT next to the Bull Moose! WOW!!! An experience of a lifetime and it seriously made for the perfect ending to the hike!

The overall hike took us about 3 hours (we hung out and played around Lake Solitude for a while) and we hiked about 3 miles that day.