Get ready for the 4th annual Hassey “Goat Vacation”! We went to Escalante, Utah again this year, but we stopped for a couple of days of camping and hiking in the San Rafael Swell near our favorite state park, Goblin Valley. This stop was special because it included friends! We met up with folks from Utah, Washington, and Idaho. There were eight people and nine goats, and our friend Herb was the trusty guide for this trip. We arrived on a Thursday afternoon, got our vehicles parked, and headed up to Chute Canyon for a late afternoon hike. The cliffs looked amazing in the last glowing rays of the sun, but the sheer size of them made them difficult to photograph.

Finn is a show-off. A BIG show-off. Not only does he try to climb higher than anyone else, he’s as big a ham for the camera as Cuzco and has already learned just how to pose. 

Finn saw a hole in the rock.

And what do you do when you find a hole in the rock? Why, you squeeze through it  of course!

Of course, we can’t have any hike without an obligatory “Glamour Shot” of Cuzco. If Finn likes to pose for the camera, I can tell you exactly where he learned it! Cuzco was very loyal on this hike. My friend Taffy from Washington had to walk slower on the way back because of a cranky knee, so I stayed behind and visited with her while the rest of our party went on ahead to the trucks. Usually Cuzco leads the way when we’re headed back, but in spite of the “herd” going on ahead, he stayed back with Taffy and I and made sure we didn’t get left behind. (Of course he nagged us a bit along the way.)