Cloudland Canyon Hike

Last Saturday we decided to start the New Year off with a nice hike. Cloudland Canyon was calling our name, so off we went. Road Trip! It was REALLY REALLY Cold. The temp. never got out of the teens, and the wild chill was awful. Standing on the edge of the canyon at the point was really a challenge! We look happy in the above picture...but we're shivering like crazy. We didn't stay long at the overlook/point.

So off we went - into the canyon, on the waterfall trail. This is where it got interesting. Blake & I had made this hike almost exactly 25 years ago, in Jan 1985, the winter before we married. I remembered the canyon trail & walls being icy and beautiful. That's what we wanted to show the boys...the ice! The trail was much improved in the last 25 years...because I vividly remember slipping on the ice & almost sliding underneath the railing into the canyon! Now there's boardwalks & better rails in the places that need it. The wall of icicles was so cool. The boys couldn't get enough of playing with the ice.








Eventually, we convinced the boys to keep hiking down the trail towards the falls. They were equally impressed with the ice around the falls. The spray from the falls creates winter ice sculptures all over. It's a 'box canyon'...so the ice is almost surrounding you, with the falls at the end. It was really pretty! The wind wasn't bad down there, but you still had to stay bundled up. Somewhere, Blake & I have a picture of us taken in this exact same spot....25 years ago.



This is how Blake spent most of the day.



More pictures....






The hardest part of a hike for me is going out of the canyon. I'm built like a dashound ...wee, short little legs! So steep climbs and lots of steps just wear me out. I've learned to just go at my own pace - Lord knows I'm not exactly in tip-top shape - and just keep walking, NOT try to walk at the same pace as other long-legged folks. Everyone else goes on ahead of me. Occasionally they wait for me, but most of the time they go on. Riley doesn't mind going at my pace...he often stays with me. It looks like he's saying "are you gonna make it, Mama? Do I need to run for help????"


Could my face be any more red from the cold!

But I finally made it..... but I'm always the Last Hiker Out.