Exploring and B.A.S.E. Jumpers

So yesterday my family and I decided to go on a little adventure. I had a few hours between coming home from work and going to my other work so we all got sprayed down with sunscreen, jumped in the car, and drove down into the canyon. Once there we decided to take a hike down to the river's edge (somewhere McKenzie had told us about). Little did we know how epic a hike it would be. :)

The Hike ended being a lot more rigorous than any of us imagined. It was extremely steep in certain parts, thick foliage in others, sinkholes of mud, rock slides, drop-offs, and lots of rickety bridges. But we had a blast as you can tell from above. Exploring was epic! And throughout the hike, we had fun singing "We're Following the Leader," "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," "The ABC's" and "Onward Christian Soldiers" at Jason's request (and Tanner's for the last one). I got to carry Jason on my back and shoulders through the "Jungle" and it was honestly the cutest thing!

I was definitely having fun with my camera! My family was so nice to stop every two seconds to pose, especially since we all knew I had to get back to go to work by 5:00. Ironic that I was the one holding us up! ;) Oh and just as a side note I'd like to claim the coolest family ever! Every three steps we were coming up with different analogies our hike had to the gospel. It was so great!

The bridge was beautiful but what was most interesting to me was how the perspective changed as we came closer and closer to it. I wonder in awe how desperate men in the Great Depression had the ability, nerve, and determination to build this bridge, spanning such a deep and treacherous canyon.

These set of pictures are about all of the cool plants I found. We saw so many butterflies and dragonflies! So pretty. Unfortunately, we got caught in some stinging nettle though, and Brittney came out a little worse for the wear but we pulled out our nature smarts and put mud on it to cool it and wrapped it in some nearby lambs ear. Who knows if it is actually what one is supposed to do but hey it worked! :)

So we had an awesome surprise when we reached the end of the trail. Unbeknownst to us, the trail led to the B.A.S.E. Jumpers Pad. And because it was a beautiful and windy day all the jumpers were out and ready to jump. It was SO cool! we got to see them jump and their chutes deploy from underneath, and we were right there for their landing. We even got to talk to a few of them. It was the neatest experience. For the parachuters, the best way to get out of the canyon is to take a donation-based boat ride out. But if that isn't available, the next best thing is to climb out of the canyon (you can see the steep incline in the picture with the parachuters walking away). And finally, the last resort is to hike out the way we came which also includes a hike up the road that leads out of the canyon. 

The most sobering part of our hike was looking at the memorials for those who had died B.A.S.E. jumping off of the Perrine Bridge. Last year a man died by getting caught and folded up in his chute when the wind collapsed it on him. And earlier a man froze to death when he jumped in the winter at sundown and couldn't find his way out in the dark. And due to Twin Falls's high winds, one man was actually blown into the Perrine Bridge. It was a sobering reminder of how fragile life really is.

It was such a beautiful hike and a wonderful time with my family! In one hike we got connections to the gospel, quality time with one another, exercise, we got to watch B.A.S.E. jumpers from beneath, and we got to use a little nature knowledge. Best day of this summer yet!

-Natalie Cherie