Yesterday, Nate and I and my parents hiked Fossil Springs. After 6 hours of hiking, 3 hours of swimming and/or exploring, 1 round of the alphabet game ("The letter is 'A,' think of every animal beginning with 'A.' The letter is 'B.' And so on and so forth), a few rounds of the song game ("the word is 'dirt,' think of a song with the word 'dirt' in it...and so on and so forth), 1 twisted ankle, a few sore knees, and a whole-lotta laughs, we OWNED that hike. And now, the results are in...the Academy Award goes to:
For Best Director: Nathan Townsend
If it weren't for Nate's impeccable navigational skills we probably would have never found the springs at all. With a serious lack of signage marking the way and extra narrow trails that didn't even look like actual hiking trails, Nate always assured us we were headed in the right direction ("It's getting greener, that means we're getting close to the water"). Or when we came to a fork in the trail Nate was always eager to figure out which one needed to be taken, volunteering to run down the trail, check it out, run back up and decide if it looked like the right way or not. What a guy.
For Best Cinematography: Carissa Townsend
You better believe my camera was strapped to my camelback, ready for easy access and photo documentation of our days' journey!...after all, if you read the previous post I am the resident "photo slut" (Thanks Mom). Whatever, maybe I take too many pictures, but it just won me this Academy Award...so boo-ya.
For the Special Achievement Academy Award: Sally King
Firstly, Sally fell and rolled her ankle, only about an hour after we began our hike. But she got back up and was willing to keep going. You animal You. ...You should see it today though, can you say big, black and blue balloon? But even more-so, Sally ACTUALLY swam in the springs! I'm not sure you can appreciate the magnitude of this event, because this came from the woman who won't even swim in her pool unless it's a good 94 degrees. The springs, ladies and gentleman, were probably a good 65, maybe 70 degrees. And she got in and swam...twice! Kudos to you mother.
For Best Supporting Actor Hiker: Gary King
Gary gets this award because, as opposed to above winner, Gary did not actually decide to swim. He tried, bless his little heart, but decided it was too cold (chicken). However, he did wade in waist deep and waved to us from afar. It was pretty comical, to see his facial expressions as he walked deeper in (ahh, I still chuckle). Maybe next year Gare, swim and you could be Best Actor Hiker in a Lead Role. Snaps to you though, for making it back up the mountain. Slow and steady...
And last but not least, the award for Best Picture: Fossil Springs
What an amazing little treasure Arizona has, tucked away at the bottom of the mountain! The Springs were well worth the hike and such a sight to see! The water was crystal clear, there was a magnificent waterfall, a cave to swim into, and the actual spring with fresh water coming right out of the ground! A must-do hike!
The cave
Here's more pics from the day!
Finally made it!
Time for swimming! Nate was brave enough to jump in!
Inside the cave
The water was unbelievably clear!
A few minutes before you get to the waterfall, you'll find the actual springs, one of which includes where the water first begins, bubbling up out of the ground
...and down the creek it goes
We took advantage of the fresh water to refill our camelbacks and bottles
A few yards before the spring is this water hole. Cold water but fresh and deep enough to swim in! Plus the little fish love company!
With it's own little waterfall!
Slippery, mossy rocks!
For this trip, everyone came out a winner!
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