I went on a hike this morning, exploring a trail close to the canyon. I'm about to complain about it, and I was also about to put that it was so un-traveled that it didn't even have a name, but upon a google map search, I just learned that it indeed does have a name. I'm just going to call it "Steep Hike" but as I'm writing here I just learned I traveled up the Plinko Trail. One good thing about it was that it was fun to see the canyon from a different angle.
#1) Just because I see a trail in front of me, doesn't mean it's a good trail. Don't trust a trail unless it is on the map (Trailforks). The "Plinko Trail" or the "Old Little Cottonwood Canyon Road Trailhead" is shown on google maps, but no trail is really named or mapped out. I parked and took this trail because I've ridden past it on my bike, and I've seen a few people go up it over the past 3 years, but after I was a few meters into it, I realized that it was not a good trail. It was quite steep, the ground was loose, it was hard to see the trail (not well used or beaten) and a few times I wasn't sure where to go. I'd get out my phone where I could see a different trail that WAS on the map up above me, so I kept going up. I went up instead of back down, cause it was so steep and loose that I knew if I was going back down, I'd be sliding on my rear end the whole way down. It seemed better to me to go up until I met up with the trial on trail forks. I was relieved when I arrived at that marked trail.
#2) The trailforks map was still just as steep and about equal in loose gravel, but I was relieved to be on a trail that was on the map. Moral of that lesson: You'll still have to work hard on an established trail, but it's comforting knowing that it is on the map and a direction for how to go up and get back down.
So after I got on the more main trail, I thought I'd keep going up. And then I learned that it still wasn't that established of a trail, cause there was no one on the trial going up except for me for the whole hour I was going up (note to self: find a hiking partner/friend). I was slightly nervous about being attacked by a cougar. It was pretty and green. There were lots of times when I was about to turn around cause I could not tell which way to go. Then I'd think "Maybe it's right there?..." and I'd take a few steps in a certain direction and sure enough, was able to see the trail for a few feet more in front of me. It was stressful not being able to see the trail though! I felt like I was hiking a parable of what work has been like for Corey this past year, on this project that he's doing, but not having great communication with the guy he's doing it with, not having money, not knowing if it's right, not really seeing a trail or path forward... He will go to the temple and pray and feel like the best option is to just keep keeping on, even though he's not sure where it's leading or if it will be successful (like I didn't really know where I was going) and stuff like that. I did start to see little white rocks up as I got closer to the top. Little white stones of granite. I picked them up and thought of the brother of Jared (Ether 3) and the sixteen small white stones that he carried in his hands. They probably had to be pretty small for him to carry them in his hand. And I didn't molten these, I just saw them and picked them up. But I did get 16+! They were pretty rocks. I guess I'm like my kids in that I like to pick up rocks. I prayed a little bit as I hiked and talked out loud to myself. I thought it would be fun to get to the end of the trail, but I turned around before that because I did finally reach a point where I could not see the trail in any direction. Maybe if I ever come up this trail again and if I'm with a group of friends, we'll try to find the trail past that point and get higher up. But going down was horrible and slippery, even on the trail that was on the maps. So that was when I learned thing number 3 ~
#3) Stick to what you know you like. DON'T TRY NEW THINGS! (kinda joking... but I was quoting Megamind talking to Minion in my head "You were right! Let's stick to what we're good at...") I know I liked hiking the quarry trail and bells canyon and Ferguson and all these popular trails and they are POPULAR because they are GOOD and enjoyable and this trail I was on today is NOT popular because it sucks! It is steep and no fun and I think my knees are going to hurt tomorrow and I'm glad I didn't fall on my tailbone but I had quite a few close calls. And I didn't even look up at the trees and flowers that much, which is why I said I like to hike compared to bike (where I'm almost always looking down at the rocks) but on this it was the same as biking - I was looking at my feet and the rocks and gravel most of the time. To compare it to biking, I did all the uphill climb today with no fun downhill as my reward. I titled this hike on my Strava "I'm never doing that hike again". Go on the hikes where the happy people are (aka the temple and the covenant path).
So there are some of my insights and take aways from today. I could have gone on a ride, but Eliza was in the basement and I didn't want to wake her getting my bike out. She drove down from Boise yesterday to visit with Joseph. They are getting married in less than 3 weeks! And they haven't seen each other for 3 weeks cause J was in Guatemala, so they wanted to see each other, which I guess is understandable for fiancée's to want to see each other. Corey went down to Provo and picked up Abi and Lily. ALS all crashed to recover from their fun weeks. While they napped, Corey took ODP out to Corner Canyon to ride at the bike park with his friend Eric and his kids. Corey called me a bit later to ask if I could come get them, so I went out to pick up ODP cause Corey wanted to show Eric Rush. It was a very very warm "in the heat of the day" ride for them, but I think they liked it and it was good. The boys were glad to come home and I let them to play with friends. ALS went shopping for some stuff before they go to YW camp on Monday (rafting from Cisco to Moab) and then L went to babysit. O&D were playing with friends, J and Eliza went to the temple and stuff. At 7pm I took ASNPK with me to a wedding reception up at the Snowpine Lodge for a neighbor and family friend. Corey would have come but he was feeling a bit sick - a sinus infection he thinks. It was a lovely reception - very fancy. Nicer than what we did for . Then we came home and Ihad wanted to get dropped off and ride down the canyon, to be able to get that satisfaction that I didn't get from my hike, but it was getting too dark so I went climbing instead. They close at 10pm on Saturday, so now I'm back and I don't mind staying up late on a Saturday cause I can sleep in tomorrow. We did decide to cancel our Momentum membership until winter. I'm hoping that I can do enough calisthenics and pull ups stuff to keep some of the finger and upper body strength that I've gained. So we'll see in the winter I guess if I'm starting from square 1 again or not. K, goodnight! And remember, Don't try new things!
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