The Robinson Family: The Never Ending Hike From Hell

We went on an insane hike on Sat. Insanely bad. We decided to take the kids into Ramsey Canyon and check it out and it really was great at first. Really. We saw 2 deer right off and even Eli's screams of excitement didn't scare them away. There was a little area for Eli to play in the water. It was flat and an easy path and we were having fun. Then it got to the point where you turn back or hike the next 1/2 mile uphill, about an 800 foot elevation change (illustrating how steep it was here) to get to the Ramsey Canyon Viewpoint. With Isaac toting Isabelle and me helping my 4 year old along, I wasn't too excited about this plan. Several times along that 1/2 mile, I questioned whether this was a good idea. Eli continued voicing his protests - "No more walking please," and more to the point, "Stop, stop!" But Isaac really wanted to see this viewpoint and every time a complaint was made, he pointed out how far we'd come, that it would be a shame to turn back now, and we were almost there, right? Somewhere along the way, as the sweat poured down, I let him know that this viewpoint was only going to be worth it if there was a beautiful, snow-capped mountain waiting for me at the top. Hey, I'm an Oregonian, I've got high expectations for viewpoints!

Anyway, we finally got to the top, sweating and puffing, only to have an Arizona Monsoon come sweeping in at that very moment and insane amounts of rain (if you haven't been caught under a monsoon, they happen quickly and you are drenched within the first second, that's how strong they are) pouring down. We went running (or as close as you can to running down an extremely steep and now muddy, slope) back down, with Eli howling all the way (and the word howling is an understatement - people at the bottom of the trail actually heard us the entire way down). Eli is sobbing, screaming and also yelling at me to sing songs to make him feel better, so I'm singing primary songs at the top of my lungs, trying to cheer him up. Then the hail started and all my singing couldn't control the devastation. And worse, nothing we could do to make it at all better, other than keep on hiking. I was feeling like I'm going to win the worse-parent-of-the-year award the whole way down. Eli is shaking he's so cold. Isabelle, who is definitely the toughest member of this family, is smiling and laughing the whole way down, while the rain and hail poured off her. We finally got to the bottom, ran to the car, stripped the kids soaking wet clothes off and turned up the heat. I thought we had it pretty bad, until we turned out of the parking lot and saw the huge outdoor wedding going on at the B&B next door, and the soaked crowd and bride and groom. I am certain that they were married to the accompanying sounds of Eli's screams (since we do know they echoed down the canyon). Sorry folks! Here are some pictures of the disastrous hike, before the disaster.