stewart falls

This weekend was Labor Day weekend. 

Labor Day weekend is also Swiss Days here in Midway.  Mary was in the Swiss Days Parade, so Saturday morning I drove Mary over to Midway, watched the parade, and then we had a blast checking out all of the booths, tents, and shops.  I have high hopes of attending it again next year, maybe with some family or friends. 

We had a normal Sunday, and then Monday we decided to do a big hike with a family that we know.  We decided to hike up to Stewart falls...about a 2 or 3 mile hike down, and the same distance back.

The mountain was EXTREMELY crowded with people hiking, camping, fishing, boating, ziplining, and everything else.  The parking lot was full, and we were told to drive up further and hike in Cascade Springs, but somehow both our family and our friends were able to find a parking spot.

The hike was pretty big for the kids, but they did really well!  They were definitely tired when we got to the waterfall, but they perked up with some snacks, and with dipping their toes...or their entire body, in the waterfall.

Ben and Mary ran under the falls.  It was FREEZING, but those two are always up for an adventure.

Mary building up the nerve

 

conquered it

We found a different trail to get back to Sundance, that was a little easier for the kids.  Molly didn't make a sound the entire hike.  She loves to be outside and to be close to Ben.  She had the best of both worlds.

Luke traded off walking, and having me hold him.  He did a great job for how hard the hike was.

 Yes, Luke has no shoes on.  He and William really don't like wearing shoes, so at any given time during our hike, one or both of them, were barefoot.  I honestly don't know how they do it!  They must have an inch of callous on the bottom of their feet.

We took a few small breaks to give the kids rest.

This was the biggest hike William had ever done, and it was very hard for him.  We really had to keep giving him pep talks and working things through with him.  I  was so proud of him for not giving up, and for walking the entire way.

Sam and Mary had no problems at all.  In fact, Sam would run ahead for a while, and then run back to us.  Then run ahead again, and walk back.  He and Mary had a great time.

Our friends, the Snyders, have two little girls that seriously pounded the hike out!  They did great!  They also have a chubby boy named Henry, who is Molly's age.  It was really fun to hike with them and to get to know them better.

We were all relieved to finish the hike, and the kids immediately had their shoes ripped off and laid down in the nice cool grass at Sundance while Ben and our friend hitchhiked back down to our cars.

On the drive home, the traffic through the canyon was at a stand still, and they were closing the road.  As we came up to Deer Creek Reservoir, we saw that there was a huge fire up on the mountain.  It had started in Cascade Springs...where we were going to have to hike if we didn't find parking.  It was so sad to see these beautiful mountains burning!  It put a pit in our stomachs.

We stopped at Dairy Keen to get milkshakes to celebrate a hike well done, and then came home to hang out the rest of the night.

Unfortunately, the fire is still burning today, and is bigger.  Heber is full of smoke, and the mountains are not visible.  We are hoping and praying that the firefighters can get the fire out soon, and preserve these beautiful mountains that surround us.