Reunion: Slot Canyon 1

This past weekend my family and i all met in St.George for the funeral of our Maternal Great Grandmother, Grammy. It kind of turned into a family Reunion, although we didn't call it that. I am still brimming with the feelings of peace and love that come whenever i'm with these beautiful people that i get to call family. 

Friday, once all the grandbabies were there, we hiked through slot canon! maybe not a 'hike' because it's actually really short, but us Hansens love mountains. Just for the record folks, i'm totally fine with a family hike staying a reunion tradition. {we always did it in hiko, we did it last summer in provo, we'd better just keep it rolling ;) }

Hi, i literally could not get enough of this red rock.

GORGEOUS.

(Remember how i have a thing with mountains? I love them, and my heart always becomes tender when i climb. it's like my spirit is just prone to pondering when i'm high above the ground. the second half of my slot canyon story is a set of thoughts i had while coming down the mountain. The principle characters being this adorable family below. but that story will have to wait for the next post.)

 the mouth of the canyon is the largest part of the "slot".

the babies and mommas stayed in the open part and played in the cool shade and red dirt while the big kids, dads and uncle Jonathan raced ahead. I had absolutely no intention of sliding myself 100 yards up into a 14 inch crack in a mountain. no thank you. 

I stayed with the bebes

and could they BE any cuter? impossible.

Christine was brave and went with Donny. 

And then we could hear the kids and dads up on top of the mountain, and then climbing down and getting ready to come in a gain for round two. Rebecca wanted to go through while it was empty, so now was her chance. 

"I think i want to go through before the kids come back." she said

"I'll go with you"

wait, what?

I'LL go with you?

there's no way that voice was mine.

Rebecca must have had the same thought because she asked, "REALLY?! okay, let's go now."

AND I WENT.

INTO THE SLOT.

I don't know what possessed me, because about 3 feet in i was already scooting along sideways and it was getting pretty thin.

"Oh, Rebecca, I don't know..." i hesitated. but we kept going. 

a few yards in you literally just have to pull really hard with your leading hand and throw yourself upward onto a little shelf where it's wider. Rebecca and i reached that spot and stopped, because the kids had caught up to us and we let them pass us. They are tiny enough that most of them could just walk straight through, no problem. 

I was breathing really heavily and leaning against the cool rock. 

Donny and Christine had just climbed out at the end, i could hear them starting to walk on top and back down. 

the kids passed us, beaming and giggling. I smiled. they're all getting so big.

and then Allison came behind them and joined Rebecca and I, who were paused for a moment considering going back. 

I don't remember how the decision was made, i just know that all of a sudden, we were continuing. 

Rebecca, then me, then Allison.

(Katrina is expecting their third baby! so exciting! she stayed in the mouth of the canyon with the husbands and little ones, because she didn't want to risk hurting herself or the baby.)

Rebecca came to the hardest part first. a very thin part in the crack. she was sucking herself in and standing on her tippy toes, inching to the right, and she was explaining all of this as she was doing it so that i would know what to do. she'd done this before, i hadn't. 

I heard her voice worry at one point, and her hands were pushing against the wall as quickly as they could until finally she was past the hardest spot and kept scooting normally. I hadn't realized until then that i'd been holding my breath because i was worried that she was stuck. 

I don't get claustrophobic very often, but when i do it's because the walls or objects ABOVE me are too close together. 

i have frequent nightmares of buildings collapsing on me because i read way too many articles about people trapped under ceilings in the twin towers when 9/11 happened.

so i purposefully hadn't looked up while in the canyon. i didn't want to. i knew the walls were high, and i knew if i looked up to see HOW high, i would get dizzy and probably cry.

But it was my turn to go through the tightest spot, and for some stupid reason, i looked up. 

 not a good idea. 

i quickly reverted my gaze back to the wall, inches from my face, and breathed in deeply. i was good and stuck between two walls of a canyon.
i'm going to die.
it's gonna be like that guy in like 2006 who went climbing by himself in utah and had to drink his own pee and cut off his arm and never play the piano again.

Rebecca was in front of me, reassuring me that where she was, there was a lot more room. and that actually i wan't that far away from her.
Allison was below me, coaxing me on and saying, 'you can totally do it. it's just this part.'

so i just blinked really hard and kept doing what i was doing. sucking in, scooting, pulling, twisting, pushing my way to the right. and soon i was out of the tight spot.

I commemorated with Selfies galore.

and then too soon we were back in the heat, on top of the canyon. 

 i was really proud of us. 

because it was actually a bit scary for a second, and the whole thing was tricky. 

we rock. 

I spy a tiny St.George temple behind my head:

I'm grateful for these girls, my dear sisters who are there to lead the way through tight situations and encourage me when i feel stuck.

I had to take a picture of this tagging because HOLY COW! Carving this long of a thing, this deep, into SOLID ROCK, would take FOREVER.

Congratulations, Brady and Ashley. I dream for a love so obviously dedicated as yours.

I walked around on the top for a bit. pondered, because it was a mountain, took a few more selfies and then spent way too long trying to climb down, because i went the long route.

the big kiddos, hanging out, nbd, aunt wissa.

PS hey Derek, thanks for the new camera :)