Solo Hike with Baby - Northern Swell & Little Wild Horse 10.06.2012

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Mar 29, 2012
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My wife was out of town for the weekend so I decided to take my 16 month old daughter down to the Swell since it had been too long. Drove down Saturday morning from Salt Lake City and went near the Smith Cabin off of the Tidwell Draw road to Horsethief Canyon north of I-70.

It was 3 by the time I started hiking and there is one particular spot that is tricky and I didn't want to do it with no backup to help me through. It requires an up climb through a narrow spot with a 70 foot dry fall as a consequence. For that reason, I decided to take a new route and look for an alternative up the canyon. After scrambling and bushwhacking up a few drainages, I decided to just slow down and enjoy the quiet. Leah was sleeping in her carrier and I just enjoyed being in the desert. After heading back and driving out I went to Green River and got a cheap hotel for the night. While there, we walked to the ChowHound and I talked to a young couple that were biking from San Fran to Key West. Nice.

The next day, I decided to do something with an actual trail to make it easier. I also thought LWH would be fun for her to walk around in. Had an older gentleman (80?) with hip problems call me a good Dad in the parking lot for getting the little one out there. I helped him up on an upclimb in the canyon and he emailed me a few weeks later saying he had made the full LWH/Bell loop which was really impressive. I've done it a few times but I warned him to take it seriously since it takes some energy and time.

I took my pack off and my daughter enjoyed walking through the narrows for a good while. We turned around after the narrows due to her stamina.

Made the trip back without too much to speak of. A rad experience. A good start for a future adventurer.
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Things die here
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Fueling for Little Wild Horse
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Getting the little ones out into the back of beyond is great, and a great teacher for them, I will always treasure my time with our son in the desert southwest. Good TR and pics too.
 
The kind of trip good memories are made of... awesome.
 
Way to get out there!

Hard to tell but it looks like you have a Kelty Kid Carrier. Kelty recently sent us a new 2012 Pathfinder 3.0 and we've been pretty stoked with it.
 
We purchased a ridge-line and used it for 6 years (2 kids) until a weld cracked. Ketly replaced it with an FC 3.0 that we used for 3 years until a few weeks ago when we had a issue with the harness. They replaced that one as well with a brand new pathfinder and we love it.

Kelty has awesome customer service and stands behind their packs.
 
Nice TR. I can't wait to get my kids back out. I slacked off big time last year. My youngest is now 14 months, so hopefully he'll be a bit more game this coming spring.
 
Nice! I still haven't been able to get my 3 year old out with me.
I'm extremely jealous of the mothers and fathers on here that get to experience nature with their little ones.
 
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