Soldier Hollow

We took advantage of a groupon (group coupon) that was going on to try out Soldier Hollow.  We donned all our snow clothes piled in the car and drove through the scenic canyon toward our destination.  I don't recall driving up this canyon in the winter time before, where I had a chance to actually look around.  It was breathtaking.  The trees seemed more green against the stark white of the snow, and we saw quite a few waterfalls dripping with long daggers of ice while the cold water poured down the mountain.  I never realized this canyon had so many waterfalls.  Its amazing how one notices such differences in the same places at different seasons.  The whole drive up we listened to the musical score from the movie Frozen, so appropriate.  One funny part, just before we reached the mouth of the canyon; we had the music blasting and the GPS telling us which way to go.  In the song we were listening to, one person says, "Can I say something crazy?"  then Siri (the GPS) pipes up, "In 1 mile turn left". It quickly turns back to the song and the other character says, "Can I say something even crazier,"  To which Siri pipes in again, "Here is your left, turn left".  At the time it was so funny we were laughing so hard we started to cry.  

We arrived at our destination ready for a new experience.  The weather was cooperating and the kids were all in a good mood so that helps out more than you know.  Soldier Hollow is a great place to go when you have little kids for 1 main reason,  they have a tow rope.  I can't tell you how many times I have lugged a kid up the hill over and over again during 1 sledding trip that I was wiped out by the end of the day.  This made the whole sledding thing more enjoyable, and I had energy left over after the event to take care of everything that mothers must do.  They had 4 runs each a little different but all equally enjoyable.  My first trip down each one I was a little nervous,  you get a kind of snow blindness because everything is white, white, white. You really can't see what is coming next, and with a Peter in tow I was a little worried we would too much air and he would fly right out.  Thankfully that didn't happen and we just had an enjoyable time. We started calling Peter prince Peter because he didn't get out of his tube once.  The tow rope hauled him up and we pulled him over to the run than back to the tow rope.  Brennen was a mad man.  He would fly down the hill then run to the tow rope, just so he cold fly down again and again. We had a hard time keeping up with him.  Needless to say he loved it.  William had a great time too, on one of our many tows up the hill he exclaimed, "This place is epic awesomeness!!"  I take it that meant he liked it.  The tow rope attendant got a huge grin after William's comment.  On one run a tuber lost his hat.  The attendant at the top of the hill asked each person in line to try to grab it on our way down.  After 3 failed attempts by other people I am happy to announce I got it.  I mentioned to them that they should have a lane where you have to grab as many articles as you can, it would be a fun game.  The owner of the hat was very grateful for my success.

So in short we had a great time here.  Our session lasted 2 hours and that was the perfect amount of time.  Any longer and we would have gotten too cold. But we did get a fair amount of runs in, and no one cried!  It was a perfect winter family outing.  My kids keep asking when we can do it again?  Maybe next year.

That night as we were heading to bed William came to me all concerned.  He said in a very worried urgent tone, "Mom, my eyes are doing strange things.  I keep seeing these green splotches everywhere I look.  When I close my eyes it doesn't go away."  I chuckle a little and told him not to worry he just got a little snow blindness.  For William my hypochondriac this was the wrong words to use.  He started to panic, "Blindness?  You mean I am going blind?!?!?"  Now I am less than amused, so I tell him, "No buddy you are not going blind.  It is just something that happens when you stare at snow for too long,  you eyes just got a little sunburned."  again wrong words to use.  After another moment of panic on his part I told him to just go to sleep and if he still had it in the morning THEN we would talk about it.  Gratefully he was healed when the sun came up.  Oh my, I must always be careful what I say to this kid.