Battle Creek Part 2

Last week, Wendy and I decided to head back to Battle Creek Falls. Both of us were awake SUPER early, so we just decided to head out. Well, we didn't factor in that it's darker later now! haha We waited until it was 30 minutes prior to civil twilight and we decided to head out. It was super dark, like need a flashlight dark. It was a little spooky to be walking around, but we had our vicious attack dog with us. When we reached the falls, we could see them, but this is what my camera captured:

 Finally it started to lighten up. I had read somewhere that if you continue past the falls, there's a second set of falls. We decided to keep going, not knowing how much farther it was.

 Well, it turns out, they aren't far at all! It's not a huge waterfall but they are so pretty and peaceful. It got lighter and lighter as we were enjoying it and so we finally could get some pics.

 Dark selfie!

 We could see Battle Creek falls much better when we came back down to them!

 The hike down to the falls looks super steep and treacherous when you hike up to the top of the falls. I was feeling brave and decided to head down. As I started, I realized it wasn't bad at all! So, Wendy came down too. It was so fun to see them from the bottom!

 Even though we started out super early, it was a great hike. The best part was that we saw NO other people! We always like just hiking on our own.
Changing leaves:

 The hike also seemed much easier this time! Part of that is because it was our first hike last time. Plus, I think we're in better shape! It's always fun to feel a difference and be able to compare.
Zipsie did great too

The views were of course spectacular on the way down! (Things always look better after you've accomplished something, right?)

Once again, I recommend this hike. It's pretty, not difficult, and short!

Brigham City

A few weeks ago Wendy and I headed up to Brigham City to experience Peach Days with our other sister who lives up there. Once again, I couldn't find much info for hikes in the area. (maybe it's a small town thing?) Anyway, I found a random geocaching blog post about "waterfall canyon" with some vague instructions to the trailhead. Well, my sister hasn't lived there very long and we didn't find the right trailhead. (maybe starting in the dark didn't help?) Once again, we just headed up the side of the mountain. The lights of the city were cool to see. I really love hiking so early. 

 I spy the temple.

 Here's the temple as the sun came up:

 As we were hiking, we realized we were probably close to the "B" on the mountain. So, we kept going. We could see glimpses of the white rocks of the "B" but then we hit a road block. Literally. There was a gate that said private property, so we couldn't go any further.

 Group selfie!

 You can see it from here:

Although we didn't make it up there, we're determined to find the right trail to the "B" and get there someday! The road was relatively flat, so we did do a few bouts of jogging. We only went 1.66 miles, but it was fun to be up early in the morning and get a workout in before the festivities began!

Ephraim

Over the Labor Day weekend we went to visit the in-laws in Sanpete County. Wendy wasn't with me, so I dragged the hubs along with me. We asked where would be good hiking spots, and it was hard to find anything. The in-laws suggested hiking up to the tower that's on the side of the mountain close to Ephraim Canyon. Grandma stayed home with the boy, and Grandpa took the girls on a flat easy walk on the dirt road, and we set off. This hike was pretty difficult for me, but not super hard for the hubs. It was literally uphill just about the whole way. I don't think the Sanpete Valley is particularly pretty, but the hike offered some cool views. 

 I spy some little girls and Grandpa:

 I had to stop so many times, my legs were dead!

 Getting closer!

 Finally we made it to the top!

 Proof that we were there!

 Lots of farmland

 And a nice red faced selfie of me:

 The sun peeking up over the mountain:

 On the way down, we literally ran at least 3/4 of the way. It took us 34 minutes to get up and 17 to get down! There's lots of loose rocks so be careful as you descend.
Here's the view of the tower from the bottom:

All in all it was a great workout. I think it was just about a mile to it, so 2 miles out and back. My legs were so sore for days after! To get to the trailhead, head up the road that goes toward Ephraim canyon. Right after the curve in the road, turn right into the neighborhood and continue on the dirt roads through the farms. That's about as good of directions as I can give you haha. I'm sure a local would be of more help!

Cecret Lake

I will apologize in advance for the picture overload. This canyon is just too pretty not to post a million! That's why I'm so behind on posting this. The week after our failed attempt, we decided to actually get to Cecret Lake. So once again we headed off early and got up the canyon before sunrise. This time we brought the whole crew with us. The trail head is hard to find in the dark, but we found it and set off. The terrain was nice. Not too many rocks/roots. We had to cross a couple runoffs but it was really pretty. 

As we headed up the terrain started to change. It was very rocky and pretty uphill. I was struggling until I took the 23 pound baby off the front of me and passed him off to the hubs. After that, it was much easier. We stopped a lot with the kids and they never complained once. They were great sports, especially considering we woke them up at 4am to get on the road. 

 When you think there's no such thing as Cecret Lake, you're almost there. If you aren't looking where you're going, you'd fall right in. (No but seriously it's pretty cool and feels like a little secret tucked into the mountain.)

 I was the first to get to the lake. I was pretty excited, and I may have started chant/singing "Cecret! Cecret!" And I turned to my left and saw a good sized bull moose that was very close!!! Oops!

 It was SO awesome. We fell silent and watched in awe. The girls had been saying they wanted to see a moose the whole time since Wendy and I had seen one last week. Well, when we actually saw it, they wanted to turn around and leave immediately. Can you tell in the picture below? Someone wouldn't take her eyes off him.

 We wanted to keep our distance so we walked around the lake and watched him from afar as we enjoyed our granola bars.

 Even if we hadn't seen the moose, I would've still been blown away by the scenery. It is so gorgeous up there. We stayed for so long just watching the sunrise over the little oasis.

 Moose Selfie!

Scared selfie!

 On the way back down we noticed how green it is on the sides of the trail. The huge boulders are pretty cool too.

 We made it back down! Overall it was a great hike. It was great for kids if you stop a lot. Be careful of some of the rocks towards the end, you can slide pretty easily. The views are incredible. We did pass quite a few people on the way down, so I would suggest, once again, that you go early if you don't want to run into lots of other people. We all had a great time! I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for something gorgeous to see.
 Here's our stats via Fitbit:
Hike up:
Pace: 39'09"
Time: 1:09:18
Miles: 1.76
Steps: 4,176
Hike down:
Pace: 29'16"
Time: 37:27
Miles: 1.27
Steps: 3, 019