Memories

As a child I spent every summer at my Grandfather's sheep ranch.   As I got older and into my youth, my Sister, Brother, Father, and I, had the opportunity to help my Grandfather trail his sheep from the winter ranch up to the summer cabin. 

 This meant spending 10 days on horseback in Wyoming wilderness while  sharing the responsibility of watching over 1300 sheep.  Although these 10 days were spent without running water, sleeping in tents, early wake-up time of 4:30 am, no toilets, freezing cold or blistering hot temperatures, sunburned lips, sore muscles, snow, rain, hail, getting lost, and a lot of hard work;  they are cherished experiences I would never give up. 

There is something special about being in beautiful country with your family, working together to accomplish a goal, experiencing challenges, being there for each other, and creating lasting memories. 

Now that I am grown, a wife and mother of four little ones, I want to pass on the feelings I had in my youth. 

I want my kids to

see, touch, feel, smell, and hear

what it is like to be surrounded by beauty.

  I want them to experience what it is like to set out on adventure as a family,
 let them help prepare for it, and then create new
memories that they too can cherish.

 This is the year that I am going to begin to make a change.
  I want to become a "hiking family". 

 A family that explores the diverse beauty of Utah. A family that sets goals and helps each member accomplish them. A family that builds relationships and lasting memories. I want to become a hiking family.

The PURPOSE of this blog was to help me learn more about our beautiful and diverse home of UTAH, research how to hike with children, discover family friendly hikes, and then set goals to help my family become a
"HIKING FAMILY".

 If you are a beginner hiker or in a new stage of life and are wanting to take your children hiking, I encourage you to explore this blog and get ideas on how to help your family create lasting memories as you experience the joys and beauty of being together.  I hope that you too can have          MOUNTAINS OF FUN IN UTAH!

"Families that recreate together report higher levels of happiness, healthy functioning, and unity" (Kraus, 1984; Smith, 1997)