Jack's Canyon Camping/Climbing Trip....and Lenny's 35th Birthday!!!

We had planned on going camping during fall break, but when we had sick kiddos, we pushed that idea on the back burner. By Friday, everyone was healthy and itching to get out of town. So as Leonard and I talked about what are we gonna do for the day we said "ahhh, what the heck lets go camping and lets get on the road soon, it is already noon." So with 1 hour of preparation and a trip to Wally World, we loaded up the truck and off we went. Everyone just wore the clothes on their back. It was going to be a "little laundry to wash when we get home" kind of camp out. just the bare essentials :) I kinda like spontaneous planning, but it does have it's draw backs....yes this is FORE SHADOWING ....dun dun duuuunnnnn.

So A CAMPING WE WILL GO!!!
We were so excited to camp on top of the Mollogon Rim at our favorite Car Camping location. (Rock Crossing Camp Ground) But the campsite was closed! WHAT????? where the heck are we gonna camp. We need a port-a-potty for the kiddos and me :) ( that is the next thing we are adding to our camping gear...our own potty so we can camp anywhere we want) any ways...our PLAN A was foiled so we decided to drive down to Jack's Canyon where we were planning on going rock climbing the next day. They have a potty and we would be closer to our Saturday Activity anyways. I was a bit surprised it was DESERT CAMPING. Booooo Hisssssss! I had my heart set on nestling our enormous tent between some pretty pine trees. Not this time. Oh well!!! Once PLAN A campsite was a bust and we drove down to the DESERT Plan B. We pretty much had to stay there because we were burning daylight with our spontaneous planning. So Desert Camping it is.... I am trying to be happy about it. I can be a stinker sometimes. :( sorry Lenny!....I didn't get any pics around the campfire Friday night. oops! It was work work work to set up camp and then we cooked hot dogs over the fire and of course roasted marshmallows. I was too cold to get my camera so you will have to imagine the FUN the Zito's had... I will share more later :)

What is this??? a CRABBY CRYING BOY???? yes it is. I feel like crying too! Just kidding :) He woke up on the wrong side of the tent this morning and he didn't want me to take his picture. I think he was COLD and TIRED!!! It was FREEZING it got down to 30 degrees at night. my teeth are chattering just thinking about it.

So here a few pics around our camp... We loved sitting around the Fire Pit. It kept us toasty and warm. We had to be pretty creative Friday night. we usually pack some card games to play and a card table, but ooops forgot them. It was dark by 6:30pm and dinner was done and we had nothing to do. Couldn't play catch the flag, too much cactus... so we put our minds to together and made up games to play. The first game we played was making up a story and then after a stentences, each person would add what they thought should happen next. it was pretty funny. Then we played a word rhyming game. WE rhymed up to 100 words in a row! We are pretty Awesome :) And our favorite was telling stories about happy memories we had as kids. It was really fun and before we knew it it was 10 pm and our fire was dying down. Looks like it's time to hit the sack.

Notice anything missing in the pic of the tent floor with all the sleeping bags??? Well for a CAR CAMPER that I am, something CRITICAL for comfort got forgotten and it was gonna be a rough night literally.... yes you guessed it. someone ( I am not naming names) accidentally forgot the camping tote with the air mattress and the paper goods like, plates, napkins, silverware, cups.... you know kinda important stuff. and it wasn't me ;) big OOOPS! We didn't know that box didn't get put in the truck after we spent the 45 minutes assembling our 12 man tent!!!! while setting up the tent, we weren't super careful to clear all the rocks from the ground since we will have a mattress to sleep on anyway. Well, after finding out the BAD NEWS. It was gonna be an interesting night. I haven't slept on the rocky ground EVER... I always have some cush. Well, lucky for me, Leonard packed his Thermarest camping pad and his super warm sleeping bag. He let me be the most comfortable. I have the best hubby ever. I actually did sleep pretty good. I need to get me one of those Thermarest pads! It was super cold and we didn't have enough warm stuff. Like I said before, it got down to 30 degrees and i was hearing teeth chattering. We all slept in our clothes and coats. We were up at 6:30am. not too bad! I was expecting everyone getting up super duper early. 8 hours of sleep ( well restless, tossing and turning sleep but with your eyes closed kind of sleep.) See that brand spanking new Coleman stove in the pic above. It was a gift for my man because......

Today is his BIRTHDAY!!! 35th to be exact :) Happy Birthday Lenny! This is a birthday camp out he would never forget! I should have made him breakfast, but instead he was so sweet and cooked us up some yummy blueberry pancakes. We had pancake sandwiches. We had to be creative for breakfast since we were missing some essential utensils. It worked out great having pancake sandwiches. They sure were tasty. Did you notice I didn't forget a birthday candle for my man. We sang him happy birthday nice and loud! I am sure the other campers appreciated our beautiful morning wake-up song. There is no more sleeping for anyone with Blake awake :)

We packed up camp and hiked down this pretty steep trail to the bottom of the canyon for some rock climbing. The girls CAN'T WAIT!!! Real Rock Climbing on REAL Rocks! Leonard takes them to the rock gym here and there and they Love it.

We made it to our climbing spot and watching our dad getting the gear ready to go.

It was a beautiful morning. It was freezing early in the morning but it was heating up quick. Back at home it was a crazy 103 degrees. We got this mean record heat this weekend. GRRRRRR~

Leonard had to remind me of all the rules of belaying and climbing lingo. I forgot alot of it. I haven't been climbing for almost 12 Years!!!! Crazy!!! This is why.......

When Leonard & I were first married, we were Rock Climbing Fools. We were living in Idaho and there were lots of great places to climb and they were close by. It was a great activity for poor college students. We used to climb 3 days a week and almost every weekend. I really enjoyed spending time with my man and enjoying this beautiful earth God made for us to enjoy. It was fun challenging your body and test your fear. Climbing was all good for me for the first 9 months of our marriage until Leonard severely broke his ankle while climbing and needed emergency surgery to keep his foot. It was sooo scary and I my love for climbing pretty much left me after that. It was a freak accident. I was belaying Leonard. He was Lead Climbing...where you place protection into cracks of the rock as you are climbing up. He was up really high on this climb that he had done dozens of times before and slipped. As he was falling, the rope stretched further than expected and his ankle smashed on a rock ledge on the way down. I was in shock. I belayed him the rest of the way down the cliff and his ankle was busted. His foot was dislocated and turned in the wrong direction. It was BAD!!!! I was freaking out for him. I was in total panic! He was so calm and had to tell me to breathe and that HE was gonna be ok. It is a miracle he made it down the mtn. That morning we were the only ones climbing and then right before this happened 2 friends showed up to climb. There were there to give Leonard a blessing and help carry Leonard down the mtn.

Miracles happened on this day. The trail to this climb is straight up and very rocky and unstable and there is only room for 1 person wide. We prayed we could get Leonard down this mtn. The Trail happened to be wide enough for 2 guys to hold Leonard in the fireman's carry down to our car. It was a miracle for sure! One that I will never forget. One I am so thankful we were able to get him down safe & get him to the hospital. I was an emotional wreck. It was so sad to see my hubby broken and in pain. It was hard because we had no family or friends for support. Just couple of Leonard's college buddies and our Bishop. Leonard received the emergency surgery he needed. He crushed his heal, dislocated and fractured his Talus bone in the ankle. It is the bone in your foot that carries the blood to the rest of your foot and allows your foot to move in circles & back and forth. He needed screws to put his foot back together. The Dr. was concerned that the bone might not heal and if the bone died, his foot would have to be amputated. the Doctor told him his injury was so severe that he would never be able to run and would always have a horrible limp when he walks. Many more miracles occurred. Leonard healed up great. He got to keep his foot, He can RUN and he loves it and does NOT have a limp. That ankle is stiff and has limited movement but is doesn't stop him at all. I am so thankful for our Heavenly Father for blessing Leonard to heal and recover so well. It was a blessing and a miracle. As soon as the cast was off and he was giving the OK to start walking again, do you know what he wanted to do right away??? YEP you guessed it. We went back to the rock! He put on his climbing shoes... ( he luckily still had his climbing shoes in one piece because when he was at the ER and getting ready to head into surgery they were going to cut his shoes off him. He said NO WAY and insisted they untie them and carefully take them off his broken and twisted foot! now that is SACRIFICE...I am telling he loved climbing so much it was worth the pain to keep his shoes in one piece! WOW) so he put on his climbing shoes and I belayed him once again. I was nervous and scared and shortly after that I found out I was expecting Kaitlyn. So no more climbing for me for a while. Then life got busy, we moved a couple times and i got out of shape. We have lived in the desert for almost 9 years now and there aren't the best climbing spots here. I was ok to let this hobby die. Leonard and I have new ones that we love. Leonard would disagree with letting climbing die. So for his birthday, we went together as a family to try it again and it was pretty fun! Leonard is very hopeful! I can see the wheels spinning in his head already. In fact I could see them spinning when I agreed to go climbing again :)

Now onto the rest of our Family Adventure...

Since it is October, the leaves were changing colors and it was soooo pretty! This is the only "FALL" I have seen this season. It was nice. This rugged rock says...CLIMB ME!!!!

Leonard climbed up this 5.4 difficulty ( for beginners) bolted sport route. He set up anchor and I belayed him back down. We are ready to climb! I would have got more pics of Lenny climbing, but I was busy taking and giving slack. I snapped a couple of him once he was anchored in safely :) He LOVES climbing and is excited to have girls who want to go and want to learn.

Kaitlyn was first up! Leonard was triple checking her gear for safety. i love that about him :)

Off she goes! Kaitlyn is a natural at this! This makes her dad so proud! Leonard took the boy scouts here to climb a few months ago and some of the boys chickened out or couldn't make it to the top. It was so exciting when she made it! She did awesome. Even in tennis shoes! Good Job Kaitlyn!

A few snapshots of the rest of us while Kaitlyn is climbing. :)

Blake loved carrying around the climbing gear! Melts Leonard's Heart I tell you :)

Carly is geared up and ready to climb! You go girl :)

The beginning is pretty tough. It is hard to find the holds! Carly did awesome! She hopes to make it to the top next time. "When my arms and legs are longer, I can make it to the top" she said.

Here is the proof! I went climbing!!!! It all started to come back to me. Climbing in jeans isn't my favorite choice, but remember....light laundry when we get home camping trip! It was awesome getting to the top! Leonard was so proud of me!

Nothing wins the heart of my man than his wife's dirty climbing hands! I love You Leonard! Happy Birthday!!!!

Jack's Canyon is a beautiful place! There are over 300 climbs to be climbed in the canyon. from beginner to advanced. Leonard can't wait to come back and go climbing again!

I love this picture of father and son! One of Leonard's dreams is taking his son on outdoor adventures. Blake is getting older :) He loves to take his daughters out too and wants them to have a deep love for adventure and outdoors like he does. I think experiences like this help develop that love!

My handsome man! Happy to have dirty climbing hands too! Thanks for your patience and love you have for us Lenny! You are such a special man! My life would not be the same without in it! It was fun celebrating your birthday doing something you love! Thanks for being you!

PS you are 35 years YOUNG!!! I can't wait to spend forever with you!

Hiking out!!! Last shot of our Camping/Climbing Adventure! It was definitely an ADVENTURE!!! That is what makes life worth living! Leonard said that taking his family climbing was his favorite birthday present! We loved spending time with you Leonard. We look forward to our next adventure together!