The Wave

Welcome back to our blog! Like everybody else, in this time of school-from-home, work-from-home, everything-from-home, we've been looking for constructive outlets for our energy and yesterday Sasha latched on to catching us up on our family scrapbooks! A couple of years ago, I finally caught up on our multi-year scrapbook backlog (link to that celebration here) and now Sasha is carrying that torch!

It's been so cool seeing how much my kids love looking through our scrapbooks, connecting to treasured memories, and reading the corresponding blog posts that describe our adventures. This is such an important time for our whole family to feel that connection to our past and to our stories. So, in honor of Sasha picking up our scrapbooking, I'm going to try and come back to blogging!

There's so. much. to. say. So let's start with beautiful photos of our amazing state!

The Wave is part of the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument and I have wanted to visit for years (and years and years). The landscape is fragile, and the BLM limits entry to The Wave to 20 people per day - 10 from an online lottery and 10 from an in-person lottery. The online lottery takes place each month, three months in advance of the month they're issuing passes for, and I've been applying for years. In December, our number came up and we got to purchase passes! For March 18th. You know, the first week when Coronavirus rewrote our reality for Utah residents.

Steve and I went back and forth (and back and forth) on whether or not to go, but finally decided that any location that only issues 20 entries per day was as isolated as we could ask for.

I am so grateful that we decided to go. Spending a day in the sunshine and rain and sand and rock and fresh air was an amazing boost to our spirits. And marveling at God's creation anchored our souls in a profound way. Truly, what seemed like the worst time imaginable for a trip to the desert ended up being a complete godsend. And there's nothing like a 7-mile hike to ensure you sleep well at night, regardless of the anxiety of the present time!

Here are some highlights from the hike:

The diagonal sections of sandstone layers were so cool!

A dinosaur track

I'm such a sucker for the wavy lines in the sandstone!

And, finally, we made it! Entering The Wave is an amazing experience. The folded lines of sandstone, the colors, it truly is awe-inspiring. Plus, there's lots of space to climb, and you know my kids love to climb!

Our entry into The Wave did begin with a bit of a mishap. See that giant pool of water and the fairly steep rock sides surrounding it? Well... WanYing went first and successfully navigated the pool. And then I went next and ended up soaked to the knees with very squishy hiking boots. At this point, the others found an alternate path. Ah, well, at least I was wearing quick-dry pants.

WanYing shakes the sand out of her boots

Sasha in The Wave entrance that didn't threaten wet feet

There's a reason that everybody's reviews of The Wave include ten million photos and continually-effusive language - it's simply an amazing experience. Throughout the day, it was so cool to see how the rocks changed color when the sun peaked in and out of the clouds, and how the entire landscape turned maroon when the clouds did finally open into rain and sleet.

We also hiked above The Wave to get another view and do some more scrambling, jumping, and climbing. WanYing is really missing her time at the climbing gym since they closed (groan), so at least she was able to get a little bouldering in!

Finally, the rain that had been threatening all day did come and we got to see the beauty of the wet desert. We got showers and sleet, but it wasn't too cold and it certainly didn't interrupt the fun of our hike. It was especially cool to see The Wave turn into a series of cascades as the water tumbled down the sandstone. The desert in the rain is every bit as pretty as the bright-and-sunny desert!

It took years to happen, but I think our trip to The Wave ended up coming at exactly the right time.