Hiking the P

For our Friday adventure this week we went to Payson and hiked the P on the hillside. Growing up down there I was always aware of it being on the mountain. I just never thought it was worth climbing up to. Fast forward a few decades and now I'm purposely climbing mountains with my boys. 

I figured winter climbing is actually probably better than climbing in the hot summer months. Today this theory proved true. Yes, we did run into a bit of mud, but I much preferred that over the blistering hot sun. 

On this adventure we brought along our homeschool friend, Talmadge. It works out great because Peter and Talmadge can go fast while Luke and I can take it slow.  

Finding the trail was a bit of a challenge. Thankfully Google maps knew right where it was. You take the road heading up to Payson canyon. Then, you watch for a dirt road right next to a house. Seriously, I thought it was the road leading up to someone's farm pasture. So I had to do a u-turn and come back.

The road was a little rough and I was nervous driving down it. It's a one way road so I was super glad we were the only ones there. I felt much better once we got to the large muddy parking area. Then, I was sure we were in the right place. The trail was easy to follow from there.

The beginning of the trail started out easy. At one point you have to climb a bit of a steep part to get to the actual mountain. Luke was very nervous about it, but he did it. It was so cute to see Talmadge come back down to help Luke up it.  Talmadge is an experienced hiker which really helped to motivate my boys. 

When we got closer to the P the boys could see a trail running up the side of it. It looked steep and slippery. It was - they love it! The thrill of the challenge was great for them. Luke and I took the easier/flat route. It was perfect for us. We stopped for lots of rests and drinks of water.  Luke seemed to be more comfortable with this hike (until we started coming down). I think (and hope) his confidence is getting stronger. 

I have been purposely choosing hikes the boys will continue to see throughout their lives so they can realize and remember that they did a hard thing by going and climbing it. 

 We hiked around for about 90 minutes. We all felt a little bit sore as we climbed back into the car. It was well worth the effort and we will be going again. I think taking a picnic next time would be awesome. There are so many flat places to put down a blanket and food. The view from up there is also pretty spectacular (can you spot the temple).