Summer Bucket List

This year’s Bucket List is brought to you by Lava Hot Springs.

BY HAILEY MINTON For this summer’s bucket list, we wanted to highlight rock climbing, backpacking, mountain biking, and archery. These activities capitalize on the unique geographic features of living in Utah. The highest level of these activities are catered to adults, but any age can have fun at a more appropriate level. Keep in mind that any kid is going to need a willing adult to spearhead these activities. We also have a fun list of activities just for kids to get your own summer bucket list started!

It wasn’t until now, in my late twenties, that I got into Mountain Biking. The experience delivers a similar thrill to downhill skiing and snowboarding. Everything is constantly changing when riding in the mountains during the spring, summer, and fall months. One week, you can pedal alongside fields of wildflowers, another week, you can breathe that decomposing leaf air as you pedal through tunnels of fall leaves. You get to see more country in less time compared to hiking, and I think it is a lot of fun to navigate the technical aspects of the trails. Since we live in an area with a lot of different trail users, it’s important to know trail etiquette before you jump on your bike. The International Mountain Bike Association has a general rule that has been around since the 70s: Bikers yield to horses and foot traffic, and descending riders yield to climbing riders. However, some areas have trails that are marked as downhill mountain biking only. The Ogden Parkway paved trail has some fun dirt trails that connect with it. North Fork Park has a network of trails I’m looking forward to checking out. You can also check out Snowbasin, Powder Mountain, and the Bonneville Shoreline trails.

Whether you’re trying it for the first time, have gone to a climbing gym a few times, or you’re a seasoned climber, rock climbing is fun for all skill levels. The sport requires some education, but once you have the skills and gear, the top of the route is the limit! My husband and I love rock climbing because once you invest money in the gear you need, it’s free to climb outside (most of the time). It’s an amazing way to explore an area, whether you live there or visit a new place. Especially in Utah, there are places to rock climb almost anywhere you travel. It is an exhilarating, challenging, and physically demanding activity. My husband and I love taking our nieces and nephews out with us to let them experience the highs and lows of it. If you think this sport is scary or dangerous, we both think the risk in driving a car is substantially higher than it is for rock climbing (with the right equipment and skill, that is). The climbing community is usually really great, inclusive, and supportive. It’s always fun to be climbing at the same wall with strangers. When you see someone else overcome a challenge, it feels like you won a little bit too!

There’s always more you can learn with rock climbing. Right now, my husband and I want to learn how to multi-pitch climb. That means you climb up a bigger wall part way, then your belay partner climbs up behind you. Once you get to the top of that first pitch, you start over again and climb up the next pitch. There are a lot of things you need to know to go rock climbing: building an anchor, belaying, rope management, not to mention the technique it takes to actually climb the wall. There are a lot of ways to become educated. You can reach out to your friend who climbs and ask to go climb with them or take a class through one of the climbing gyms or Weber State. Weber State has some affordable clinics they host over the summer. Check out their website if you want the confidence that comes by being trained by a skilled instructor. www.weber.edu/outdoor/onsite-clinics

In 2019, I hiked a relatively small section of the Pacific Crest Trail: a trail running from the border of Mexico, through California, Oregon, and Washington, and ending at the border of Canada. The entire trail is 2,650 miles, and I hiked 314 of them. I found that after about the first 50 miles or so, I started to get into a groove that helped me see the draw of long-distance backpacking. The wilderness, solitude, friends I made along the way, scenery, sore muscles, and wildlife made it unforgettable. Facing physical, mental, and logistical challenges that aren’t a part of everyday life was invigorating, and I highly recommend the experience of doing a long backpacking trip. There are other trails in the US: the Appalachian Trail on the East Coast, the Continental Divide trail through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, along with a few others. Utah is home to the Highline trail in the Uintas, which spans 104 miles. You may have heard of backpacking to King’s Peak, which is a side trail option along the Highline Trail route. There are other trails like the La Verkin Creek Trail in Zion National Park that runs 14 miles or Bryce Canyon’s Under the Rim Trail that spans 23 miles or Paria Canyon Backpacking Trail in the Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness at 38 miles. There is something liberating about carrying everything you need to survive on your back and reestablishing “home” every night. Planning meals for backpacking is different from any other type of meal planning you’ve done. You count calories but in the opposite way of what society is used to. More densely packed calories equals more energy for the weight you’re carrying. Cliff bars, tortilla roll up with a tuna packet, snickers bars, oatmeal packets, dehydrated bananas, pineapple and mango, nuts, and beef jerky were some of my staples. Meals where you just add water are ideal because it means less weight to pack around. I really loved the Good To-Go meals, and my favorite was their Herbed Mushroom Risotto.

Backpackers know that gear can make or break a trip, especially when carrying extra weight wears on your feet and joints over the long haul.

A Sawer water filter. When going for long distances, you need to filter water as you go. These filters are very light weight and screw onto water bottles. Most people used the disposable Smart Water containers for them. They are lighter weight, and you can easily squeeze them to filter your water. Bring two bottles so one will be the dirty water that is pre-filtered, and the other one can hold filtered water. On cold nights, just make sure you keep your filter in your sleeping bag with you. If it freezes, it’s ineffective. Injinji wool toe socks. I always do long hikes in two layers of wool socks, with these toe socks as my base layer. These do a phenomenal job of preventing blisters, and many other hikers on the PCT loved them just as much as I did.

pad. I have the Big Agnes Roxy Ann bag and the Big Agnes 20 x 72 x 4 Insulate Q-core Sleeping pad. There are lots of good options out there at a variety of price points. Being comfortable at night is important to me, so I went with this gear even though it was a little more on the pricey side. Trust me, it only takes one uncomfortable night to make good sleeping gear worth it.

All images copyright GEAR:30 | Photographer Credit Bryden Bowley

BY: JENNY GOLDSBERRY

Archery is a fun, competitive sport that requires strength and focus. Anyone can give it a try, and you’ll find it’s much simpler than shooting, because there isn’t a license or registration needed to use a bow and arrow. The two sports are very similar in set up and practice. When it comes to target practice, get either field or bullet point arrows. Even though these are mostly meant for targets and very small game, they’re still dangerous, so be careful with them. You’ll want a target, which you can rent ready-made or can create your own with a bale of hay. You’ll also want a back stop to keep wayward arrow from flying too far. This is accomplished with an old rug or quilt hung behind the target. Make sure it’s significantly wider and taller than the target for best effect. If you’re in a group playing archery, communication is key. Always notify other archers when you’re about to shoot. Never shoot an arrow straight up, from an extremely long distance, or when you can’t see where you’re shooting. When it comes time to gather the arrows, which have hopefully hit your target, notify other archers to put down their bows so the path is clear for the clean up. If you want to learn archery to bowhunt someday, you’ll first need a hunting education and license from the state of Utah. For small game, use a judo or blunt point. When it comes to big game, you’ll need a broadhead point, which is banned from most archery ranges. There’s even a point especially for fishing. Utah provides a free bowhunting education, but it’s not necessary to hunt. There’s no minimum age requirement, and you pay only when you pass the bowhunting exam.

Photo courtesy of Vanessa Wilson

BY MELISSA SPELTS I like to sit down with my family and come up with a summer bucket list. It’s fun to hear what crazy ideas my kids come up with. I usually think, if we can, we will do it. Sometimes I have to say, “be brave and try,” think rope swings! On the right are things that have been on our summer bucket list that might help get your ideas flowing.

Vanessa’s daughters enjoying a paper boat challenge from last year’s bucketlist.

loved it! We got out and did activities that we otherwise wouldn’t have. I hope you do it again next year.” -Vanessa Wilson

Whatever is on your list, make sure to enjoy the summer with your kids and remember to take photos because as my Grandma Frehner used to always say — “You’ll thank me later.”

 Join a library reading program:

 Monday “fun” day: do something fun with your kids on this day every week (choose a day that works best for you).

You could do crafts, challenges, or a sport.  Go swimming at the lake, swimming

 Picnic at a fun park.  Go fishing at a lake or at the Fish

for sure catch a fish.  Ride bikes to your favorite ice cream place or to get donuts.  Learn something new: sewing,

 Have a Bob Ross day and watch one of his instructional videos; try to replicate his painting techniques.  Take pictures of all the activities

 Have a cake decorating party (you can buy pre made cakes at a local grocery store or make your “own.”  Go on a hike.  Go to a carnival or fair.  Grow a garden.  Do service for a neighbor.  Go for a drive and explore new parts

 Camp out in the back yard for a night and star gaze.  Go hammocking.  Go on a scavenger hunt.  Run through the sprinklers.  Movies in the park.  Try the watermelon rubber band

 Play kickball with friends and family at a local baseball field.  Roast hot dogs and marshmallows

 Make homemade play dough.  Have a water balloon fight or play

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We are so excited for the 2022 Miss Syracuse Pageant! We will kick off Syracuse Heritage Days on Saturday, June 18th, at 6 p.m. at Syracuse High School. Tickets are $5 before June 16th from one of our contestants or $7 at the door. We have 10 incredible young women competing, and we would love to see you there cheering them on as our current queens, Brynley and Brielle, pass on their crowns.

Miss Syracuse 2021

Miss Teen Syracuse 2021

BY ELIZABETH NAJIM

Hoop and stick game, or graces.

This game can be a kid’s early introduction to baseball, but you don’t need to play on a baseball field. All you need are two bases marked with chalk, beanbags or plates, and each is guarded by a player who throws and catches a baseball or a bigger ball for an easier catch. One or more players try to run back and forth between the bases without being tagged out by the people with the ball.

BY JENNY GOLDSBERRY

As school gets out and your family runs out of ways to fill your day with, we thought we’d introduce some old school games from history. Give them a try and let us know what you think!

This game was popular more than 100 years ago. Two teams and a barrier, which can be a table or log set up between the two teams, were needed. One of the teams had a ball, yelled out “Annie,” and threw the ball to a member of the opposing team. If that person didn’t catch the ball, then they would throw it back. Once the ball was caught, the teams switched sides as fast as possible. The catcher attempted to hit an opposing team member with the ball while they ran to change sides. If a catcher was successful, the player who was hit had to change teams. The game continued until one of the teams completely absorbed the other. Eventually, this game became Red Rover without the ball. This is the type of game where you can invite the whole neighborhood to create large teams.

Another popular game from the past is Graces, which requires a hoop and a stick per kid. Kids try to use the stick to successfully pass the hoop back and forth. This game was devised to promote grace and dexterity in young children, which is how it got its name. The bigger the hoop, the easier the game, so you can use anything from a hula hoop to an earring. You likely already have hula hoops for the many games that involve them, maybe even for an obstacle course. Smaller hoops have dual purpose, too, for target games where objects are placed at a distance from the thrower, and the thrower tries to capture them with the hoops.

While we’re not in a wartime now, here’s a fun idea from the second World War era. Many toy factories at the time were required to make guns, plane parts, and other pieces of equipment needed for the war effort instead of making new toys. As a result, there was a toy shortage, so children would swap with one another at ‘toy exchanges’. In this day and age, where the most popular YouTube channels worldwide are of children reviewing games, kids will be happy to learn about and try new toys from their friends.

In 1904, the Amusement Hall was announced. Here, concerts, school events, plays, and dances were hosted. Eventually, even basketball was set up. Before, these sorts of entertainment happened either in the central school or the Syracuse Mercantile Store in the winter. It was built along 1700 South 2000 West to be a 40 foot by 80 foot building, meant to fit about 72 people. Later, the city planted a grove alongside the hall. There, locals participated in horseshoe pitching, sack races, relay races, and horse harnessing. The Syracuse Museum has a video on Facebook detailing the history of the hall.

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BOOK AND LYRICS BY DAVID LINDSAY-ABAIRE MUSIC BY JEANINE TESORI ORIGINALLY PRODUCED ON BROADWAY BY DREAMWORKS THEATRICALS AND NEAL STREET PRODUCTIONS

DIRECTED BY ANDREW BARRATT LEWIS MUSICAL DIRECTION BY KENNETH PLAIN CHOREOGRAPHY BY jo blake.

SHREK THE MUSICAL is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All Authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.Mtishows.com