We woke up to a wet camp due to condensation.
After a warm breakfast we decided to hike Little Wild Horse Canyon, a slot
canyon 5 miles away.
It is a popular hike for families and dog
owners. We came across at least two dozen dogs during our hike. The parking lot
was full, and the trail was too.
It didn't seem that busy at first because people
were spaced through the hike, but then the trail became a slot canyon and
everyone had to be funneled through the narrow entrance making for extra wait
times.
The canyon was a kids playground with plenty of
places for them to climb and hide. Unfortunately all of the rain from earlier
in the week had pooled in some areas making them impassable. Some young lads
moved large rocks to create a stepping stone path through the water.
The water got deeper and deeper the further we
hiked in. We reached point where the water was too deep for rock paths and the
kids would have had to wade chest high in water, so we turned around.
The hike back was a lot quicker. The kids were
hungry for lunch. They ate through all of the snacks and wanted more so they
were motivated to head back to the car.
Instead of having a simple lunch and a big
dinner, we ate our large meal midafternoon and cleaned up the large dishes
during the relatively warmth and light of the afternoon.
After ‘linner’ we went exploring our campsite.
We hiked up the ridge on one side of camp. The ground was red at first, but
transitioned to white the further up we reached. The white, rocky and barren
terrain felt as if we were standing on the moon.
After descending we decided to hike to the
visitor center through the open desert. We were on a race against sunset. We
barely made it back before it began to get dark.
Once at camp, we sat around the campfire to
roast marshmallows and make pie cups.
I am sure we were the loudest camp that night,
telling scary stories and singing silly Go-Noodle songs that engaged everyone.
The kids left Goblin Valley, tired and ready for a good night sleep.
