Friday, September 20, 2013

4MM - Yesterday was hike day (2.4)

 
OK, hike day wasn't yesterday, but it was last Saturday.  We've just been too busy to post any pictures until now.
 

Our intention was to hike the Pfiefferhorn, but due to weather and other unforeseen circumstances, we had to call an audible.  And that led us to discover a great little family-friendly gem at the bottom of Little Cottonwood Canyon -- the Temple Quarry Trail.


As the name implies, this trail (paved, wheelchair accessible) is a short loop that circles the site of the old quarry from where the granite (actually quartz monzonite, as we learned) for the Salt Lake LDS Temple was quarried.  It's a really pretty area, but the highlight is finding the large stones that bear the chisel marks from so long ago.  And we even found  one piece of an old chisel that apparently broke off and remains enshrined in a huge boulder.


Oh, and this is where we realized that autumn is coming.  Hurray!


The kids loved climbing around on the odd-shaped stones that were left behind by the quarry workers.


And Tennyson is definitely entering that "tough-guy" stage, which, we're informed, lasts for the next 40ish years.


We had a lot of fun playing in the dry riverbed, throwing and stacking rocks, and just relaxing in the shade.  Great little hike.

 
And the 4MM Club is hoping to fit one more hike into this season, hopefully timed to take in the autumn colors in all their glory.  So let us know if you're interested in joining!


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