Hurricane Canal Trail

Hello! Our intensive therapy day for the month was spent hiking the Hurricane Canal Trail. Wikipedia has a short history on the trail :

Hurricane Canal and Canal Trail

For approximately 80 years, the Hurricane Canal was the lifeblood of the Hurricane Valley. Built over a period of 11 years (1893–1904), mostly by pick and shovel, the canal stands as a testament to pioneer ingenuity and determination. Since 1985, the canal has lain empty. In 2000, special interest groups came together to preserve the canal, receiving grants and volunteering time to construct a trail to stand as a tribute to the sweat and toil early settlers put forth to make the canal a reality. A monument at the trailhead recounts the canal story in brief. Much of the trail, which only covers a small section of the canal, is the actual west bank of the canal, which “canal riders” rode every day when the canal was in operation to ensure there were no leaks or other problems since the bank was somewhat unstable. Two of the trail’s unique aspects are walking in the canal itself – on a steel flume across a wash and through a tunnel immediately thereafter. The trail provides excellent views of the towns of Hurricane and La Verkin throughout. The trail ends before reaching the Virgin River Gorge, approximately five miles from the canal’s former headwaters..

This was a challenging hike at times, but very rewarding. It was a great hike.

The focus of the day was on what can we or the youth build on to make our lives better. We looked at the way these forefathers of Hurricane had built this canal to bring water to the valley. We challenged the youth at different stops along the way to ask them what they can build on to help them in their lives. How can they become more successful? Are they prepared to work as hard as they need to in order to be successful? We had some interesting and enlightening conversations.  

All in all, it was a great hike. It is always such a great time to get the youth out of the facility and out into nature. We enjoy our times spent together and it truly is a great experience.