Shum Aiga Rocks!: Bridal Veil Falls

Now that we're finally done with our house (well pretty much), we have made it a family goal to get out and discover Utah. One thing I have to hand to this state is that they have GORGEOUS mountains and the best part of it is there are loads of hikes just 10-20 minutes away. We decided to kick start our discovery of this grand state by "hiking" to Bridal Veil Falls. We see the falls every time we drive through the canyon and I remember hiking it as a young girl. The boys were beyond excited for the hike for the entire week (Brayden even opted out of a birthday party to go) and were rearing their heads bright and early in the morning. After suffering through an eternity of Daddy and Mommy working in the yard they were practically floating to the car when we finally said it was time to go.
Turns out there was an avalanche several years ago that severely damaged the hiking trails. So the hike turned out to be a leisurely 5-10 minute walk on a paved trail. The falls were very nice but they boys did not accept that as the hike. They were dead set that we had to head off the beaten path in order for it to count as a real hike. We continued down the paved trail (it's a beautiful trail that meanders all through Provo and up into the mountains) until the boys got a glimpse of a sorta kinda trail through the trees and asked if we could follow it.
Junior and I thought they would go up a short ways then want to come back down. WRONG! Those two are a couple of mountain goats. The trail went from an uneven dirt trail to just a bunch of rocks but they could hear a waterfall so they kept going. Brayden led the way. Junior followed with Bowzer, then Tavita (who never once complained even though he was using all fours to get up), and Kalei and I behind him (it was very obvious that I'd been out of commission for the past 2 months, but I held my own). Turns out there was a waterfall, and the boys were elated. They were sure they had made a discovery and were standing where no man had stood before. Brayden's only complaint was that he wished he were a dog because they can climb so much better (we let Bowzer off and he was going all over) and they're allowed to go in the water)
I LOVE that my boys have such an appreciation for the outdoors and find so much joy in hiking. While we were on the paved trail they mumbled a bit but the second they were off exploring they could have walked all day. Brayden did the entire hike to and from the car with only a 10 min ride in Daddy's pack. Tavita got pretty pooped on the way back and rode in the pack. He was like a animal severely lacking some nutrients. He kept using the back of Juniors sweaty neck as a salt lick, it was pretty nasty yet all so hilarious.
Of course we ended our day of exercising and enjoying the outdoors with some fatty burgers, fries, and shakes!
Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure. They're in no particular order, I HATE the way blogger does photos and couldn't be bothered to order them all and comment on them.