Our Muddy, Wet, "Worst Hike Ever!"

Tige had the day off work yesterday, so after preschool we headed to Zion National Park to hike the Emerald Pool trails in the beautiful 66 degree weather. Kason and I both had brand new hiking shoes and new wool hiking socks. Nice and clean.
Everything started off great. Kason was again saying "we're discovering things" and "what a great day."

We reached the lower pool and loved seeing the beautiful waterfalls. We even managed a picture of the whole family.

We got to walk under the waterfall, which Kason thought was great.

Tige and I stopped underneath the waterfall to take this picture of the falls above. We didn't realize that Kason didn't stop and was tromping ahead through VERY thick mud!

One of his shoes got stuck in the thick mud and came off, so naturally he then took a step into the mud with his new hiking socks. We yelled at him to stop, and did our best to clean him up now that he has two muddy shoes, one muddy sock, muddy pants, and muddy hands. Urgh! We didn't have supplies for this--just a wipe or two in case Abby needed a diaper change. Keep in mind this is that nasty red rock clay-type mud.

Once we're out of the mud, we hike up to the middle pools and stop for a snack.

Then we hike to the upper pools, which had an awesome waterfall this time of the year. It was wet and breezy up there, and Abby was sucking in her breath with each breeze.

But she was still happy and smiling!

We hiked back down to the middle falls and had to make a choice--continue across the little river to make a full loop, or go back to the lower pools the way we came through the mud. We didn't want more mud, and the river looked so shallow and harmless . . .

So across the river we go. Tige went first, and Kason and I followed with me holding his hand. When we got in the water and Kason's feet started getting wet, he panicked and tried to lift both feet and was kind of flailing dead weight. I only had a hold of one hand. Tige tried to reach out to take him, but he was one step too far away. So as Tige reached out for him and I let him go, down he went face first in the river like a pancake--drenched from head to toe. He comes up screaming! Poor little dude. Tige stripped his wet shirt off, but of course, we had no change of clothes with us. His pants, underwear, socks, and shoes are drenched with cold water. We tried to down play it by saying "wasn't that refreshing?" Kason's answer, "NO! IT WAS NOT REFRESHING! IT WAS LIKE ANTARTICA!"

So Tige took off his dry shirt and let Kason wear it the rest of the way. Kason told everyone we passed on the trail about how he fell in the cold river. Tige and I realize crossing the river was not the brightest decision we've ever made.

We hiked down quickly, and had to strip Kason naked for our 45 minute drive home. We bundled him in my sweatshirt, his jacket, and any other dry thing we had in the car. We learned a lesson that we should be more prepared with changes of clothes (and a video camera) next time. Tige and I laughed about it all the way home, but Kason didn't think it was so funny. Just this morning he said "mom, remember that hike we went on where my shoes got muddy and I fell in the river? That was the WORST HIKE EVER!" I wonder how long it will be before Kason thinks it's funny . . .