Monday, November 26, 2007

Thanksgiving in Zion



Tricia and I enjoyed spending Thanksgiving day in Zion National Park in southern Utah. We hiked Angel's Landing, which has turned into somewhat of an annual Newman (Tricia's maiden name) family tradition.

This was a great hike! 2 miles to the summit, a very steep vertical climb, and chains in the near cliff-like terrain for the final half mile.



My little brother Michael, age 12, is starting to get excited about hiking as part of his enthusiasm for Scouts. At the beginning of this climb I was really looking forward to bringing him along next time, but after I got to the chain parts and looked around me to see steep drop-offs on both sides, I realized I would need to wait a bit before bringing him. I can control my fear of heights in general, but when I have a child around me whom I feel responsible for, I get scared that he will get too close to the edge.

My most lasting memory of the hike was to see my white-haired mother-in-law charging ahead on the trail on the way down at a near gallop, and all of her kids scampering behind her to try to keep up.

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