This last week we drove down to Burley, a smallish town in Southern Idaho, and met up with my parents, grandparents, and siblings for the annual Hazard Family Reunion. All of us were able to stay together in the same AirBnb on a farm, which we used as a jumping-off point for our different activities. It was a great time to reconnect with family, and for kids to re-make friends with their cousins. Lot's of activity. Lots of talking. Lots of play.

Good times. Here are some photos.

Lava Hot Springs...

Giant 200-yard-long slip and slide at a cool farm that was replete with fun kids activities. They also had a zipline.

Lake day

Park day

And lots and lots of just "hanging out"

Rachel and me catching a nap in the sun.This last one's a little blurry, but I think it demonstrates how relaxed we were all able to be. Good times.

It was tons of fun. Not pictured was golfing, a crossword puzzle competition with quirky questions about family members, and a Jeopardy game featuring questions about Grandma and Grandpa's lives. There are countless meaningful moments that weren't captured on film, but will make a huge difference in holding on to these treasured family connections.

*****

Part of the reunion was going to include rock climbing at the City of Rocks, but the days were pretty warm and we thought that carting a bunch of young children into the remote desert with zero access to local amenities might be pushing it just a little. This didn't slow our family down though. There is no way we were going to be that close to the best climbing area in the state without at least a short visit.

The day the reunion ended, instead of driving home, we went to the wonderful Almo Inn where we had reserved the largest suite available for a belated Hazard Holiday.  The kids had fun just running around the place and reminded us on multiple occasions- "MomDad- this place has FOUR decks!" It was sort of a cool little inn, and Rachel and I definitely used one of those decks after the kids were tucked into their beds for one of our cherished "deck nights." There is something about these nights that will never get old- sitting outside, taking in the view and the sunset and the combined experiences of the day, and just relaxing as it all expires into darkness over the course of savory food/drink and good conversation. I love it.

The next morning, Jack and I woke up in the dark and headed off for his first multi-pitch climb. It was called Theater of Shadows, four pitches, on a formation called Jackson's Thumb, and it was an experience I think neither of us will forget any time soon. Jack led every pitch and I couldn't have asked for a better, more competent partner. We both enjoyed the movement and the location, as well as each other's company, and quickly found ourselves on top before the sun hit our location. After a brief time taking in the view and congratulating each other, we rappelled down and got back to the rest of the family in time for breakfast.

The start of a great day

Jackson about half way up the first pitch

Summit!

Another summit photo. It was a great morning. This kid is awesome.

The 150 foot free-hanging rappel was a unique feature of this climb- especially since it was Jackson's first rappel ever unless you count the practice we had done two days earlier off the monkey bars of a backyard swing-set.  He did awesome!

Later that day we did more climbing with the rest of the family. Even Rachel hobbled out to watch and belay as the kids and I climbed around on a cool formation called the Anteater. My favorite was on the way back to the car when Addy said "Hey Dad- we have a COOL family. I like us."

Maren on a neat climb called "Swiss Cheese." At only 5.7, it was still one of the scarier leads I have done since the climb is virtually unprotectable. A fall on this thing would mean...well...bad things. Let's just leave it at that and not think too hard about it. Once the toprope was set though, it was nothing but big moves, and big fun for the kids!
I like us too. It was a great trip.

Lindsey

Different area called Practice Rock. I love seeing things like this- the whole family set up climbing and belaying on a bunch of different routes all at once. From left to right you have Evelyn climbing and me belaying, Addy climbing with Maren belaying, and Lindsey climbing with Jackson belaying. Rachel took the picture. You know what they say: The family that climbs together...is just freaking awesome. Or something like that. 

Anyway, have a good week!

Tomorrow we are on our way to the Hazard Reunion and I thought I would do a quick update before all the activity starts. Lately, we seem to be in a pretty nice summer groove. We are busy, but not too busy. We see lots of friends and family, but we also get some time with just us. We've been able to reconnect with some people who we haven't seen for a while and it has been, really, quite lovely.

And that's about all I'll write for this post. It's not a literary masterpiece, I know. But that's summer for you. Easy and carefree. 

Below is a "highlight reel" of things we've been up to. Have a good week!

I am proud to post this picture, because it represents a pretty significant achievement to me and my rock climbing. After doing a number of "hard" (for me) climbs earlier this spring, and feeling pretty good about them, I decided to take on a project that was beyond anything I had ever done before. At first it was super intimidating and I had my moments of doubt. There was one particular part on it that seemed to shut me down over and over again, but after several days working on it and about half a dozen honest attempts at a clean send, I was finally able to top out Return of The King, 5.13a. Grade-wise, it is the hardest sport climb I have ever done and the first one I have actually "worked" over a significant period of time. Thing is...I think I have more in me. I'm pretty sure this is only a beginning. Boom!

After watching our kids my parents came up to our place to hang out for a few days.

Hanging out at the lake

Rachel: Always classy, making a broken foot look almost glamorous.

Family camping trip this weekend up at Farragut State Park. Good times.

Evelyn's mermaid tail that she is very proud of. She has learned to swim quite well with it, and always gets lots of compliments.

You can't get this lady down! Well...I guess is is supposed to be a stand up paddle board (SUP), so she is slacking a little. We'll let it pass though. The "boot in a bag" fashion statement more than makes up for it.