Our second day in Moab started out rocky. The night before we stopped at the gas station next to the hotel to fuel up before heading into the park the next morning. The plan was to be at the trail head at 7:30 a.m. before the heat of the day set in. As Rich got back into the car it wouldn't start. It wouldn't turn over at all. We said a quick prayer. No, the car didn't start instantly but Rich remembered my dad saying the connections needed to be cleaned. A box of baking soda and a cup of water later, the engined tuned over. The next morning Rich was at Auto Zone when the opened ready to buy a new battery. They said ours was fine it was the connections.
A couple of hours late but we hit the park. Balance Rock was our first stop.
Then off to Delicate Arch. We knew it would take a good couple of hour to hike but we wanted to do it. The boys did great and kept ahead of us.
Anja walked a good chunk of it but also wanted a few breaks. We didn't hear a single whine until she told us her foot hurt. We took her shoe off and found a huge blister on her heal. We bandaged it up and off we went.
Close to the top we took a break in the shade and the kids climbed.
Two hours later with temps soring at 109 degrees, we were sitting by the arch. It was inspiring. How could anyone think that God didn't have a role in creating the earth?
It was a long, hot hike. I wanted to turn back at times. At one point all of the kids wanted to turn back. There was no big reward or bribe at the end; just the satisfaction of seeing something beautiful and knowing you finished something difficult. It's been a hard year for our family. Opening a new school and Rich's calling have drained us. But, just like this hike, we did it. There was no one to rely on but ourselves, no one to carry Anja when she needed a break but us, no one to refill the water bottles but us, we did it...one foot in front of the other--little by little. This is a strong group of people. We aren't much to look at on the outside, but this little band of five can do hard things and do them well. I am so proud of my kids and husband.
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Jensen took hundreds of pictures on our trip. Two days into it and he had nearly 100 pictures on his camera. So, when his dad climbed down a ridge to get a better shot of the arch, Jensen followed. I took this picture just before the incident. I heard a noise and turned just as I saw Jensen lean forward to catch the camera he was dropping. His dad grabbed him before he fell. The camera bounced down the ridge. Jensen was a sobbing wreck. Then I watched in horror as Rich took off his pack and climbed down to get the camera. I didn't watch, Carter started to pray. The camera was retrieved and the SIM card saved. The camera is a complete loss but I kept it. Why, because after everyone was safe, I heard a guy say, "I would never do that for my kid." Rich turned to Jensen and said, "I will do anything for you." Tell me, what kind of an impact does that have on a kid? A permanent one--one that he will never forget.
The hike down was uneventful. Everyone was left to their own thoughts.
Dinner was nice that night; Mexican food. We talked a lot about what had happened that day. We talked about how sometimes God doesn't sent the miracle, he sends the information you need to help yourself. You can do hard things because we are a strong family and no matter what, mom and dad will always be there to catch you even if the world thinks we are crazy. Jensen purchased a poster of delicate arch at the visitor's center that day. We framed it when we got home and it's hanging in his room.
Some of us, didn't make it through dinner without crashing.
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