Zion: Emerald Pools Hike

One of the first days of our Wheat family reunion in Zion National Park we all went on the Emerald Pools hike. We chose it because it was short and easy so the four year olds would be able to hike it as well. Last time we went hiking with Julia back in California she complained that she was tired the entire way. Just before we got to the actual trail this time she told me she was tired of walking already. That was before we were even on the trail...

So she started out a little rough but we kept distracting her by asking her to find nature things for her junior ranger badge. Then she got it into her head that she really wanted to beat her cousin Tyler to the end. After that there was no stopping her. Really. We made it to the first pool in no time (there is also a second and third pool), which is where we had planned to turn around. But when she saw people were still walking past the first waterfall and pool she had to keep going too.

 Julia is up there in the pink hat holding Aunt Jen's hand. Who else can you spot?

 Some of the group headed back after the first pool like planned, but Julia wanted to keep going.The rest of us continued up to the second little pool, which was basically up around the mountain to the top of the little waterfall from the first pool. Meanwhile, Micah had fallen asleep.

  Family picture at the top after Micah had waken up.

The view without us or the chain.

I had to convince Julia that was the end of the trail so she would turn back at that point. I wasn't sure if her enthusiasm for hiking would continue all the way back to the beginning of the trail. And it didn't. Soon after we passed the first pool on the way back we once again had to distract her and encourage her to keep walking when she kept saying she was too tired to walk anymore.

As we were walking back it started to rain so Robert's dad and I took Micah and Julia and ran back to the shuttles, while Robert stopped to take pictures by the river. Robert found someone he knows while he was taking pictures under the bridge (it's his sister Lauren and brother-in-law Jess).