Gaggle Of Gees: Our Not-So Hikey Sunrise Hike

On General Conference Sunday, we went for a drive through the Ogden and Weber canyons to look at fall leaves. They weren't as spectacular as they were last year (Dave heard that the wet weather late in the summer messed with the vibrancy) but it was still beautiful. We ended up driving clear out to the Causey Reservoir. I'd never been there before, but Dave had. It was lovely, even though the water was SUPER low and there were millions of box elder beetles everywhere. David remembers that there was an easy, flat, two mile-ish hike that follows the shoreline. He decided that he wanted to take his family.

Dave loves early mornings. He proposed to me on a sunrise hike. He dragged me out of bed at an unearthly hour on our honeymoon to watch the sunrise, and he's done it many times since then. He wanted to hike Causey early in the morning as well. Knowing that this may not be the coolest idea for the rest of us, he invited each kid individually, giving them the option of staying home. I half-hoped that someone would choose that option so that I could stay in my nice warm bed, but no one did.

So, on Saturday, October 19th, we woke the kids up pre-6:00 in the morning, fed them breakfast, dressed them in several layers, loaded up the van with coats and a picnic lunch, and headed for the hills. I have to admit, it was a breathtakingly beautiful morning. The autumn colors were still on full display, frost made everything sparkle, and mists rose from the river and lakes we drove past. The sunrise was striking. I'm so glad we were all together to experience such a lovely sight.

As we drove, we hardly saw any other cars on the road. We saw several dead animals, mostly deer, and even a crazy person's tent or two in a few campgrounds (can you imagine camping in a TENT?!?!? It was 20 degrees out there!), but no other cars. So when we arrived at Causey reservoir, we were surprised to see about 15 pickup trucks. What was going on? It did not take long to notice some men in camouflage and orange clothing. Yep. That's right. We tried to hike on opening day of the deer hunt at one of the most popular places in the area. Dave felt so embarrassed, but he wasn't about to let our kids out of the van with all those guns around. He was worried for our kids safety. I was too, but I also knew that a bunch of rowdy kids running around the hills would be unpopular with the hunters. So, we scrapped our hiking plans.

We didn't let that bother us, though! We just changed our plans a little. We found a campground a few miles away and "hiked" around it. What a great campground (South Fork)! We'll be going back next summer for sure. It was SO bitter cold that it was hard to enjoy ourselves. I was actually glad that we weren't hiking around the lake. Our kids would have turned into popsicles. Our girls both wimped out and made me take them back to the van early. The men toughed it out and explored the whole campground.

After that, we drove to the monastery in Ogden canyon. I used to go there a lot when I was in high school (when I should have been in high school...but that's another story. At least I was skipping school at a religious, educational place...) It was still so early in the morning that the bookstore/visitor's center wasn't open. But I took the girls into the chapel with me to see the stained glass. It's so quiet in that whole compound - like more quiet than anything I've ever experienced anywhere else. Even the birds don't chirp. The chapel is peaceful and pretty. I think the girls enjoyed the experience. Ali felt a little uncomfortable, but Nicki went right up to one of the pews and knelt on the cushioned prayer board, just to see how it felt. Dave stayed in the van with the boys and I think by the time we returned, he was considering checking himself in as a retreat guest. The idea of a vow of silence was pretty appealing to him at the time.

After the monastery, we called Kristin to ask her where her favorite park is. I knew her family loved going to a park up by Pineview, but I'd never been there. With her directions, we found the park. It was indeed a pretty cool place. I just wish we were there later in the morning. It was only about 9:30 at this time, and the park was shaded by huge trees, so it was freezing! No, actually, it was below freezing! That didn't seem to bother most of our kids, but Bronson complained the whole time. We didn't stay long, but we decided to come back some time next summer.