The Vortex

It has been a long winter here. It seems each time we decided to try to have a hike or an outdoor activity it would snow. We have finally seen some good weather and decided to take advantage of it. I found this hike online and it was a little difficult to get there, (directions are not my thing) but we did finally find the trail and we were able to hike. At the top of this hike is a hole that was formed by erosion and according to the websites can be full of water. We were able to see standing water in many of these holes. The focus of the hike is to see how you have weathered the storms in your life and still standing. At the top of the hill we discussed how perspectives change when you look at things differently. 

 Some pics of us on the trail. 

 More trail pics.

 There was some very neat scenery on this hike. 

 The fearless leaders! 

 The youth who are also fearless and can do hard things!

 The Vortex.

Santa Clara Petroglyphs

It has been cold lately, but rain or shine we still get the boys out to do something fun. I heard about the Santa Clara Petroglyphs recently and thought it sounded like a fun hike to take the youth on. It did not disappoint. The hike wound up to a canyon edge where we saw many petroglyphs and the youth were able to climb and have fun while looking at the amazing things the Anasazi left years ago. Can I say again how lucky we are to live where we do? 

The focus of the group for the day was preparation and relapse prevention. We discussed how these ancient people lived their lives and were always prepared for their future because it was how they survived. We had each of the youth discuss their strengths and what they can use to survive. It was a fun day and the youth seemed to enjoy it. 

Snow Canyon State Park

It's been cold lately! We really wanted to get the youth out to do some hiking and get some fresh air. We headed to Snow Canyon State Park where we went on a hike. The focus of the day was goal setting and what goals did the youth want to accomplish this year. We spent time in group discussing goals. 

Longest Day in October

This is our favorite group of the year. It is the group where we are gone most of the day and have group into the night. We also have a dutch oven cook off with the youth. This year the focus was on empathy and how the youth can show empathy to their victims. It was a really great day. 

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon was one of the last therapy days we had. It's crazy that this place is such a short distance from us! It is an amazing place, if you have not been, you should take the chance and go there. We spent the hike discussing trials in one's life and how to over come those trials. It made for a great discussion. 

Cascade Falls and Navajo Lake

This past week we took the youth out on another hike. The boys really like getting out and seeing new things. This is Cascade Falls. It is a short hike with some cool views of Zion National Park. After this hike we went on a longer hike around Navajo Lake. We ate lunch and then played in the water.

We stopped during these hikes many times and discussed mindfulness and living in the moment. 

Kanarra Falls

This is one of our favorite hikes. Kanarra Falls. It is a great hike. The boys really enjoyed it.