The Wave

Once in a while we all do something stupid. It is inevitable. I blame my stupidity on being a parent. Honestly, I was not this absentminded before the kids.

Last week we went on a trip to a remote place in Arizona that is controlled by the BLM. For the past two years I’ve tried to get permits to this place. It is difficult to see because they only let 20 people a day into this area. This year, I was lucky enough to get permits through a lottery.

“The Wave” is in Northern Arizona and it has no defined trail to lead you to the site. You just use a map and GPS to find your way. The trailhead is 10 miles off a paved road and the hike is 3 miles each way. It is not for the novice hiker because and you have to navigate around a step mountain and through some sand dunes to get to the site.

Before we went on the hike, I told my sister to call the local sheriff if we did not report back to her that evening. Well guess what happened? We failed to call my sister as promised. This obviously made her worried and she started to make some calls to locate us. After a few tense hours, family made contact with us through a cell phone we had left in the hotel room. Yes, my sister was very upset at us and we apologized profusely.

This time I have no funny story to tell, just an apology to all involved!