Zion Narrows with Brooke and Sasha (Aug 2004)

Before school started, I took Brooke and Sasha several miles up the Narrows in Zion, well past the Orderville Canyon turnoff. They did very well, being ages 11 and 7 respectively.






























Some hanging ferns over the river.












Sasha entering the light from a dark section of the Narrows.

Glacier National Park (July 2004)

Photos from our summer trip to Glacier National Park.















I think I fell asleep on the trail along the cliff.


















Our camper fit through this small tunnel.

North Rim Grand Canyon Campout with the family (July 2004)

Days after being initially diagnosed with testicular cancer, and the weekend before my surgery, I asked the family if we could spend the weekend at the North Rim. This was an emotional time, but we still enjoyed the scenery.




Kim with Cleo during sunrise.



















Stephanie and I at Bright Angel Point.














The San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff can be seen in the distance.












A new dawn.















Me and Cleo.

Black Hills South Dakota Trip with Family (June 2004)

In the middle of this trip, while we were in Rapid City, I found out that I needed to return home quickly due to possible cancer. We spent a day at Mt Rushmore and Bear Country before driving home.







Me with my girls.















Sasha and a cute bear totem pole.















The four women in my life at Bear Country entrance.













This is about how I felt too!

Grand Canyon River Rafting with Stephanie (June 2004)

Stephanie had just finished 7th grade, and was looking forward to a week on the Grand Canyon with me!



The first evening on the river at around mile 20. Stephanie thought this was really calm and pretty.

















Me near the end of the trip with Red Slide behind me.

















Bev, our guide, showing Steph how to fish for trout near Saddle Canyon.



























Moonset near Tuweap!















Stephanie doing the dishes on our last night, around mile 220.

Thunder River/Deer Creek in Grand Canyon (April 2004)

Mike Burkley and I backpacked down to upper Tapeats Creek (Thunder River area) for two nights. On our layover day, we dayhiked back up to Surprise Valley and across to Deer Creek area and back.



The patio area in Deer Creek narrows.
























A view of the Colorado River from the end of the narrows. The top of Deer Creek Falls is directly below me.













A view of Steamboat Mountain and my backpack from the Thunder River area.
















Mike in front of Thunder River falls.

Lone Pine Arch Canyon (Mar 2004)

West of Gunlock Reservoir about 10 miles is a redrock area just to the south of Squaretop Mountain. This little canyon contains many petroglyphs and signs of ancient inhabitants. Our friends, Bill and MaryAnn, took us all out there to experience this area.



Sasha observing mysterious rock art.

















Stephanie stemming over a slot that runs through this canyon.




















Bill up above the three girls, next to numerous petroglyphs.

Toroweap (Mar 2004)

When our world traveler and trader friends, John and Janet Anderson, came to visit us, I thought I would take them to one of the most spectacular overlooks in the world--Grand Canyon's Toroweap Point. We drove the 90 miles of dirt roads south of St George and camped out for one night. We all enjoyed taking pictures and doing a 6 mile hike the next day.




Looking west towards Lava Rapids--North America's fastest and most difficult rapids. The water cruises near 50 mph through the rapids!
















Janet and John with their camera.


















An incredible sunrise with the river below!

Red Mountain (Spring 2004)

Kim and I love hiking the Red Mountain trail from Hwy 18 10 miles across the top of the mountain down to our house.



Kim doing a sun salutation at the West Canyon overlook.














Lots of interesting slickrock on top of the Red Mountain.

Above Gifford Wash in Zion (Spring 2004)

Mike and I scrambled from the Canyon Overlook up into Gifford Wash and then across slickrock and canyons to see an isolated part of Zion. Mike here with the West Temple behind him.











There's a big arch on the other side of that peak. We will hike out to it another day.

Havasupai (Nov 2003)

For my birthday, Kim surprised me and kidnapped me to Havasu Canyon. We drove nearly 7 hours to the trailhead, started hiking down the 9 miles to the village. We didn't arrive until 5:30 PM and everything was closed and starting to get dark. We barely found someone who could give us our hotel key and another place where we could buy a microwave dinner and breakfast snacks!




















The next morning we got up early and hiked to Havasu Falls.















Further down is Mooney Falls. To get to the bottom requires careful negotiation on slippery ladders and use of chains.

Whitmore Wash and Kanab Point (Oct 2003)

I car camped out on the Arizona Strip at Whitmore Wash, hiked to the river and back (only 1000' vertical), then drove out to Kanab Point the next morning.




Incredible view of the river from Kanab Point in the Grand Canyon.
















From my truck camp spot, I was able to look down river from Whitmore Point.














At the bottom of the 1 mile trail, pictographs grace the cliffs just up from the river.

Family Trip out to Monument Valley (Oct 2003)

For UEA we drove the kids out to Southeastern Utah to camp in the camper and see some of Monument Valley.




Our camp spot was on the edge of a 2000' cliff. This was our view from where we slept.
















I hiked around. See the camper at the top?










The loneliest road to nowhere!

R2R2R (Sep 2003)

A photo from my first Rim to Rim to Rim with Mike Walker. This was taken about an hour after the start on the second day along the South Kaibab Rim.

Zion Subway descent (Sep 2003)

Call us crazy. We took the kids and some friends down the Subway on Fall Equinox in 2003. Sasha was only 6.5 years old! Jan and Chase had never hiked anything remotely this difficult. There was lots of swimming, crawling on ledges to bypass cold pools, downclimbs, and short rappels. We all made the 9 miles in about 9 hours



The group at the top of the slickrock descent.

















Brooke excited to be there.

















Kids by the famous leaning log.

















Smiles once we're past the difficult downclimbs and pools. Now only 4 miles of rock hopping and a 600' cliff to ascend at the end.