Monday-Day 4

The 4th of July was a busy day for us. After finishing breakfast, 13 of us packed into two cars and drove to Aspen for their parade.

Josh was helping out by putting sunscreen on the kiddos.
Kye was super excited about all the candy they got at the parade.

Carson was looking pretty cool in his new shades.

Corinne only cared about eating her Popsicle.

Carson being forced to take a picture with me.

At least Kye put on a happy smile (I had to bribe him).

After the parade, a group of about 30 of us (including aunts, uncles, cousins and family friends), headed half way up Independence Pass to a picnic site called the Grotos. This is a family tradition. Everyone brings food to share, and we have a great time hanging out.

At the Grotos is an ice cave. Some years, this cave is so full of ice that you can't even climb down. This year, there was quite a bit of ice but it was melted enough that we could climb down.

Josh looking up to help me climb down.

Inside the cave.

After Josh and I climbed into the ice cave, we came back to the picnic area to chow down with the family.

Mom and dad enjoying the good food.

Josh is getting tired of these pictures....

Shan with a mouth full of food.

Case having fun with a stick.

Then we went on a hike.

I took this picture looking down into the cave where Collin, Kate and Corinne are.

We continued our hike to the raging river.

And then the boys decided they should jump into the river. It's about a 20 foot jump into the raging river below. There's a pool of water that's pretty deep, so as long as you jump out far enough from the rock, you're pretty safe. However, the water is freezing cold at a temp of about 38 degrees, so the body starts to shut down the moment you hit the water. Also this year, the river was raging. Because of the extreme amounts of snow melt, this river as roaring and my Uncle Steve made sure to stand on the rock below to help anyone who got in trouble.

Initially, only about two boys were jumping. All the other guys were just up there for support. And then Collin and Josh decided they wanted to give it a go. Collin's words, "I'm trying to decide if I don't jump if that means I'm old or smart." He decided he would be considered old if he didn't jump, so the two of them headed up.

I didn't get a picture of Collin jumping, but he's standing on the far left (the one without a shirt). He jumped as Katie and I were running through the forest to see him jump so we missed it, but his shivering body assured us he had done it.

Josh, unsure if he wanted to do it or not, succumbed to the peer pressure.

Giving me a look before jumping.

And he goes for it.

And then he scared us all. The water pulled him under, and we lost sight of Josh. My heart stopped. My Aunt Cara Lee started praying. His head came up and he started to swim toward the rock. And then he went under again. What seemed like an eternity was probably just a few seconds, but we thought for sure that someone was going to have to jump in to save him. Luckily Steve was there because he grabbed a long stick and helped pull Josh to safety. I honestly thought Josh was going to die. Josh said he was in a bit of trouble. Combined with the cold water that shut his body down, he was also pulled under by the current of the water. Josh assured us he knew he was going to be OK, but from our point of view, I thought he was a goner. I was thinking, "Meeting the family didn't fair well for Josh."

And then Jeff decided he couldn't be outdone by the younger men.

Steve is pointed to Jeff where he should land.

Showing off his muscles.

Everyone survived the cliff jumping experience, but they were certainly cold after the event.

I crossed the river, and I can attest that it was frigid. I lost all feeling in my feet within seconds.

After the picnic, we all packed into the cars and went back to Glenwood for the firework show. We had pizza and then watched the show as a family. It was pretty late by then, and we still had a long drive back to the campsite, so we loaded up sleepy kids and arrived back at our site around midnight.

It was a great day!