Zach's statement is partially true. I did want to take him camping, but part of the camping trip included lots of hiking, and walking in general seems to be quite taxing for Zach, so for that reason I decided for the overall good of the group, it would be better if we left him home with Grandma.
Fortunately for the boys and I, Darius' flight benefits kicked in and we were able to come to Utah to visit with family and spend some time with my parents before they head off on their mission. A couple days after arriving, my dad, Joy, Ben, and I headed out to check out a few of the national parks here in Utah. We left last Sunday afternoon and spent our first night at a BLM campground on the Colorado River just south of Arches National Park. Before dark we checked out a short trail that led us up to some dinosaur tracks and a few petroglyphs.
After we stopped off for lunch we tackled our longest hike of the day, Delicate Arch. About halfway up the trail Ben had a little meltdown, and I questioned whether the hike was too much of a challenge for him. We sat down and took a little breather, and Joy and Dad continued on. Losing sight of them was all the motivation Ben needed to keep going. We took the rest of the hike nice and slow, and Ben only asked for a couple of short rides on my shoulders. I'm glad he was a trooper and stuck with it because the payoff was pretty spectacular. After a snack and a couple of photos, Ben had enough and fell asleep after burying his head into my pack. Dad lost his hat in the wind and left us to look for it, so Joy and I took a little longer to enjoy the arch while Ben rested.
We finished off our day at Arches after spending a little bit of time in the Devil's Garden area of the park. Ben was pretty much done with the hiking portion of the day, so Dad stayed in the van with him while Joy and I took a short hike to the Pine Tree and Tunnel Arches. On our way back down the trail Dad and Ben met us towards the start of the trail, and Ben and I kicked off our shoes and enjoyed the cool sand on our feet.
Arches is awesome! What an amazing part of the country to visit.
It was strange not to have Zach with Ben and I. This was the first time the boys have ever spent more than a few hours apart. I didn't quite know how to feel without Zach around, but I will admit that it was pretty special to have that one-on-one time with just Ben. I knew at the end of the day I made the right call to leave Zach with Grandma. The boys interests are as different as their personalities, and it's not always the right call to ask one to do something he's not going to enjoy or appreciate. I only hope as Zach gets older that he might show more of an interest in the more physical outdoor activites because Arches was so much fun to explore.
More parks to come!
