Merrily we hike along...

The quarry doesn't officially open for the whole week to the public until later this week (Memorial Day!!), so in the mean time I'm left to help out at BLM in other ways, or at the museum. This particular day was a great chance for me to play the role of an intern; part tourist, part employee. And this was even more true today.

My boss had heard that the recreation department was taking a group of about 70 junior high students to Little Wild Horse Canyon. Needless to say, Jayden was more than happy for another pair of feet to help out. Yes, I meant feet. It also gave me a chance to explore something two hours from where I am based without having to use my own time or money. Bonus.

Seriously, though. I suited up in field pants and hiking boots, and with more water than I would normally drink, and headed over super early in the morning. My job, since I had never been before, was to tail one of the groups and make sure that all stragglers were within my line of vision, thus allowing our guy upfront to know that we had everyone. That, and take pictures.

So let's talk about Little Wild Horse. Allegedly, nearby, there is a larger canyon that actually has... surprise surprise.... wild horses. Slight technicality, truly 'wild horses' have been extinct in the America's since the Pleistocene, but the term 'feral horse,' referring to those that are descended from domestic but released animals, just doesn't have the same ring to it. "Little Feral Horse Canyon?" Yeah, visitation would drop in a heartbeat if the name was changed to that.

Currently, the trail is one of the most hiked within the Price BLM's district. Its a 'moderate hike' for people who want to try a slot canyon for the first time.

Time out, folks.

Moderate?

If you haven't heard my story about Utah and NC 'moderate' trails... read on.

Three summers ago, my dad and I visited Utah as part of a big trip across the midwest. Beautiful. I fell in love with the so called 'flaming' Uintah mountains. While there, we came across a hiking trail that led to a set of dinosaur tracks. The trail was marked 3 miles, round trip, moderate.

Ha. Ha.

For the NC native, moderate means that you can push a wheel chair down it. It means that the trail is flat, shaded, and always clearly marked by gravel, trees, or even pavement. It means water is an option if the weather is nice. And for a while, the path to the Red Fleet tracks was nicely marked by dinosaur footprints stamped on rocks that were clearly visible.

Then we got to a point that the path wasn't as well marked. So we went down that part that looked easier, broader, and like a moderate trail...

After a little ways, we hadn't seen a marker, and backtracked.

It turns out that we went the wrong way that first time. It also turns out that another woman did as well, and she ended up swimming across the lack to the side that the tracks were on because the 'path' had taken her so far out of the way.

It turns out that the Utah "moderate" is the North Carolina "difficult." No, its worse. Our "difficult" is "Don't take a wheel chair here, because you might have to hop a little stream."

In the case of Little Wild Horse, moderate meant "you may have to scale rocks, and don't you dare go if you even see a rain cloud many miles away. This will take you all day at least."

That comment about the rain isn't something I'd ever known to be concerned about before. At home, flash flood warnings are about like severe thunderstorm warnings. They mean you should probably stay inside, but life goes on.

Here, they're actually extremely dangerous.

The idea is that if water has been there before, it will likely follow the same path again. And because rain isn't as common out here, it doesn't always seep into the ground right away. More likely, it accumulates in 'slots' and runs at speeds capable of moving boulders the size of a bus. No, I'm not exaggerating. The only escape should you be caught in one is to make it to higher ground than the water will reach and wait for it to subside. That is, if you can get to high ground in time. It happens in an instant.

We were particularly concerned because there was a lot of rain last weekend and a chance of it that day.

Some of our kids were a little scared, but we assured them that we (meaning the experienced BLM-er's, one of which was in every group) knew the signs of danger, and that at the first sign of a cloud we would board the buses and go to a nice, safe state park nearby to explore. We also sent one of our folks ahead to check conditions and make sure it was safe. This reassured folks, and we began the hike. The nice thing about the trail is that the main rule is "Leave no trace." That means no graffiti, and "pack it in, pack it out." The kids respected this, and even helped to erase some of the graffiti we saw by rubbing sand it it.

The ever changing terrain also means there isn't a set path. That means that the kids had the option to stop and climb whenever we took breaks. It also meant that I could run ahead above them with a camera and get some good pictures, while still making sure that none of my group fell behind.

Overall, the kids loved being outside. No one got hurt, and everyone was back on the bus in the end. Even one little girl that had trouble walking made it all the way in and back. I think I came out the worst of anyone with quarter sized blisters on my ankle. Note to self, thicker socks next time. But it was so beautiful that it was completely worth it. And I have to admit to doing some climbing myself. Everyone learned about geology, the environment, and safety, all things they will hopefully use on future trips of their own.

Education has impact.