Upper Calf Creek Falls

Being the parents of two children under the age of 3 makes many seemingly simple tasks big adventures. Going for a weekend hiking trip to Escalante in March is one of those many things. In the past, this weekend may have been a drive at night to a remote campsite. Then an early rise in the morning for a long trip,  maybe a backpack or two long day hikes could happen on a weekend without the kids. I would return to my normal life refreshed despite the challenging long trip without having to spend much money.

Now this trip was different. We rented a motel room in the town of Escalante because that was the only way that anything of a significant nature was going to happen. We did drive at night and after cramming our many bags into the room, were able to eke out a night's sleep. In the morning, it was a late rise that would eventually end with a trip out to breakfast. We had a goal for the day which was to hike Upper Calf Creek Falls. By the time we got to the trailhead, it was 10:30 AM. We got our kids loaded in. I was letting Zyla walk as much as she wanted while hiking with the baby backpack.

 Jacqueline was carrying Conrad in the Baby Bjorn. Our hike was steep at first and Jacqueline was already worried about falling with the baby. I assured her it was going to be okay, but I don't think she was ever convinced. The trail dropped a lot of elevation before finally flattening out. Eventually we came to a junction where the trail split, one going up above the falls, one going below. We took the one below. There was one steep part that Zyla and I managed easily, but Jacqueline was unwilling to try it with Conrad.

I asked her to let me take him, but she had hit a wall and was refusing. I was disappointed because they never made it out to the falls. Zyla and I did, though, and we enjoyed it. On the way back to the junction, we ran into some Zion folks Sarah, Michelle, and Jessica that we had seen at the coffee shop in the morning. They were out for just a day trip. They had gone above the falls, so we decided to do that. It was somewhat interesting, but much better below.

 Then it was back up the hill. When we topped out, this 2 mile hike had taken us an entire hour and a half of our day. It was pretty but we were already worn out from carrying the kids up and down the slickrock hills. We went back to the hotel room to regroup.

Eventually we ended going back out to hike Lower Calf Creek Falls. But by the time we got there, it was already 2:30 pm. I let Zyla hike for a while instead of carrying her. It was obvious we were not going to make it out to Lower Calf Creek Falls and when it started to sprinkle, we turned back. Then it was out to an expensive dinner with the kids and another night's sleep in the hotel room.

We had an entire day in Escalante and we managed to hike about 3 miles and we were both exhausted. This is the joy of being a parent. Every time you can get everyone in the family moving in the right direction, you are doing an adventurous thing. There is just something about making sure your kids are exposed to this that makes it all worth while, but it sure changes the way that one looks at the world when they have children to always think about. Regardless, it always makes me a happy person when I get to be out in the natural world with the people I care about the most.