utah essay

It was a warm morning, about eight-thirty and eighty degrees. The wind blew softly as we started the long descent down the lose grey sandstone. There was excitement in the air, and we could all feel it. At this point we didn’t know what was ahead, or how things would turn out; but we also didn’t have a care in the world. We continued downward, now we could see where the trail flattened out before disappearing back down into a cave like area. That’s where we were headed.
We scrambled down some slick rock; through bushes, and into a little clearing where there was a log to sit on. It was beautiful and green, unlike the desert up above. The high waterfall filled the air with moisture that we could all feel blowing across our hot checks in the light breeze. The water was to cold to go in, and deep too. I could see the silhouettes of fishes, big ones, swimming in the depths. This place was nice but it smelled of old rotting plants so we kept going on our way. We splashed down the two-inch-deep stream, it was cool and relaxing. Birds were calling in the distance. Everything seemed perfect.
After about three hours of this we all got a little bored. Even though the rocks that rose on either side of the stream, forming long continuous caves were very amazing and interesting, the deep, six-foot holes in the sandstone creek, which could not be easily distinguished, became a little annoying. At about one, we were all tired form walking in the water for four and a half hours, we decided that we were never going to reach our destination; Lower Calf Creek Falls. But we also didn’t want to walk all the way back up the creek, up the long assent of lose stones and back to our car. At this point in the stream, on one side was a tall rock cliff, and on the other a less steep assent up to the road which we could see in the distance.
My dad climbed up first, he said it was steep. I could see this because the first ten feet or so looked vertical. Next my brother went up with little difficulty, but now it was my turn. I tried to hang onto the loose, red sandstone, but it only flaked off in my hands. It was hard, and I don’t know how we all did it, but we all managed to get up and onto a more flat area where we ate our lunch. I was nervous, the dry bread and mildly hot turkey in my sandwich didn’t help much with the knot in my stomach. When I looked up at where we were going to go, all I could see was what looked like miles and miles of whitish sandstone. However my brother said that he could see a path that we could take.
As we walked quickly over dry logs, pieces of lose sandstone, and huge pieces of iron, my mom kept warning us about all the dangers that could kill us out here in the desert. And how we should always look under logs before we step over them just in case there is a snake. Luckily, it was much to hot for any animals to want to sit in the mid afternoon heat today. I walked on, driven on by by the thought of the cool air-conditioning in the car when we got back. I was only wearing my shorts and swimsuit top, and I would have to stop for water about every five minutes. I could feel my skin burning, but it was too hot to wear a shirt. My lips were sun burnt, and starting to peel, my legs hurt from so much walking. I was tired.
The next part of the journey was the most nerve-wracking part. For we were about 500 yards from the road, we could hear the cars. But there was only one way to get there, and that was across a ledge that was about five inches. It wasn’t really a ledge, but on one side the rock went up, and on the other side it went down, so far down that if I fell I would be rolling for about half a mile. I inched my way across, I slipped a few times, but I finally made it. I was so tired and wear from the sun I was relieved when we found a little cave in the rock that was just big enough to sit under. It smelled of rabbit poop, so we left quickly.
When we finally made it to the top, my water bottle was empty, and it turned out that we were two miles away from the small dirt rode that our car was parked on. My part of the journey was over, but my brother volunteered to run the two miles, in about ninety-six degree weather, without water back to the car so the rest of my family didn’t have to walk. I must say I was impressed, because in no more than fourteen minutes we could see my dad’s silverish GMC truck winding along the narrow road. I don’t know how he did it, but I must say my brother was the hero of that day.
Now looking back, it doesn’t seem that bad. But when we were there it was one of the most intense times in my life. I must say, I will never forget sitting in that stream, with the cool water running over my legs, the sound of distant rapids, the birds calling, the warm breeze, the fresh smell of rock, and wind, and water. All these emotions mixed together, I’m glad I experienced that, and i'm glad I’m here today to tell the story.