Goblin Valley

We were invited to go to Goblin Valley with some friends. It ended up being 5 families and about 32 people who went. It has been pouring rain non-stop lately. We packed up our car with all of our camping gear (yes, I know - CAMPING!) in the rain, and headed down south to Goblin Valley on a Thursday - not planning on returning until Sunday. The more south we went, the sunnier it was. Until we actually got to Goblin Valley. It was raining there...and Troy and I put up our tent in the rain. The rain stopped soon after we put up our tent - but it was a muddy mess! We soon realized, there would be NO point in trying to keep the kids clean. It was also really cold. We could see our breath! I wondered why we were doing this, and how we were going to survive the weekend with it being rainy, muddy and cold! But...we did, and naturally, we all had a great time - especially the kids. There is something to be said about camping with your friends. Everyone was happy! I wish I could describe the scenery better, but we were camped up next to some steep cliffs/rocks that the kids loved to play on. I was really worried someone was going to die, but the other parents assured me it was fine - and just not to watch. I'm still not sure that's a great parenting tactic - but I just didn't know how to keep the kids off! They played, and climbed, and slid down in the mud, and I am pretty sure they were in heaven. It rained during that first night, but then was clear skies the rest of the weekend. Friday morning, while we were waiting for some more friends to arrive, we hiked on the mountains right above our campsite. It was slippery mud and a bit scary. At one point, my shoe stuck in the mud and my whole foot came out. It was fun - and hopefully good exercise. We ate lunch and then went into the Goblins. It was amazing! There was a little valley just filled with different sizes and shapes of 'goblins'. We played a game called - Judge. It is a form of hide and go seek/follow the leader, which was really fun. The kids wanted to stay and play all day. After a few hours, and feeling sunburned, we headed back to camp to get dinner ready. We filled up on dinner, and Troy and I cleaned up the kids as best as we could. There were showers at our campsite that were awesome. It's the only way to camp if you don't have a trailer. Saturday morning we went to hike in some slot canyons. We got probably a mile in, and they were so filled with water, we couldn't go further. Some of the group decided to get wet and go for it - so we sat around and waited. There were some Chinese students from BYU that tried to talk to Kristin, but being her shy self, she completely ignored them. She totally frustrates me with her shyness! The kids had fun hiking through the narrows, and it was really incredible to see how the water has washed away the walls of the canyons.




After the hike, we headed about 30 minutes to the nearest town to let the kids have a little nap and we got lunch and ice for the coolers while we were there.
When we got back, the kids wanted to go back to the Goblins for more "Judge". I made everyone take their family picture up high on a goblin. When it was our turn, I was too scared (I don't like heights) to walk out to the 'picture spot' so I crawled. Thank you Steven, for getting a but shot for me - I'm sure everyone appreciates it. I am showing some of the same family photo, just so you can see the scenery. It really is amazing how beautiful and diverse in scenery the state of Utah is!

That night we had a fire and did smores. Some of our friends brought HUGE marshmallows! Once it got dark, the older kids were dying to go back to the Goblins for nightgames. I opted to stay back with the girls, while Troy took the boys - with flashlights in hand. Apparently it was scary and dangerous. Glad I didn't go to witness the madness. We were talking to some friends last night about the trip, and commenting how we are still shocked that nobody got hurt - other than a few knee scrapes. I am very grateful nobody got hurt! Sunday morning, we had to get up and pack up - but our friend was dying to do a hike in Horseshoe Canyon in Canyonlands National Park - about 30 miles from where we were. It ended up being 32 miles on a dirt road. It was graded pretty good, but we were a little leary. We made it to the trailhead on the road - grateful our new car wasn't stuck - at least so far. This hike is called the Great Gallery. Here is some information I found online about it: "Horseshoe Canyon contains one of the finest displays of prehistoric Indian rock art in the United States. The famous Great Gallery, largest of several Horseshoe Canyon sites, is 200 feet long, 15 feet high, and contains dozens of fascinating red, brown, and white pictographs. The barrier canyon style paintings are at least 2,000 years old, and possibly as old as 8,000 years. The work was done by the Archaic People who lived in the area before the arrival of the Anasazi and Fremont Indian cultures. Archaeologists have struggled to interpret the strange figures that are depicted on the Great Gallery. In addition to many smaller figures, the huge panel contains about twenty life size human shapes, all of which have a strange mummy-like appearance. They lack arms or legs, and often have huge insect-like eyes and skull-shaped heads. Most interesting of all is the figures known as the "Great Ghost and Attendants". This seven-foot-high painting stands out among the others because of its size and its alien appearance." The hike is 7.5 miles roundtrip and we were told to plan on 5-6 hours to complete it. We figured we would hike until we - or the kids - were done, and then turn around. Even though - the end of the hike is where you get to see The Holy Ghost pictograph mentioned previously. But, once we got started, we decided we should just finish it. Well, you start at the top of a canyon, hike 1.5 miles down, and then go another 2.25 miles along a river bottom. And then turn around and head back. So, the hiking wasn't hard - except for the very end, after we had been hiking for more than 4 hours and had to go straight up. We went all 7.5 miles. It took us 5 hours. On the way to the Holy Ghost we stopped, played with frogs, took our time, and it took us 3 hours to get to the halfway point. On the way back, we booked it, and made it back up to the top of the canyon in 2 hours. It really was amazing to see this art on rock walls, and marvel how on earth it hasn't gotten washed away. The kids did so good! Haley complained a few times, and thanks to a few of the teenage boys who carried them a few hundred feet up the canyon at the end - they did really good. 5 hours of hiking - I was very impressed! I still can't believe our family did that! I am still so proud of them! I am hoping to do more hiking with my family this summer! Here are the photos from the hike. Thanks to my friend Jen, for the photos. I didn't want to haul my heavy camera for 5 hours, so I didn't. I used my phone and her camera.








After the hike, we chose to drive about 45 more miles on the dirt road that would take us into Green River(the city, not the actual river). It was eventful, and I wasn't sure we were ever going to make it! It felt like it just took so long. It was faster to get home that way, just a long way on a dirt road in a mini-van! We ended up getting home at about 10pm on Sunday night. We definitely made every minute count, and I am so glad we did. I will probably never do that hike again, but I am so glad we did the whole thing. I am grateful for good friends with great kids that will grow up with my kids. We decided next year we are going to hit up Moab. Can't wait!