Today’s installment of Trending With TX. takes a look at some outdoor summer fun and the pain of withdrawal from the NBA playoffs.
If you’ve got an idea for a future item — a song, film, fashion, food, book or activity teens are discovering or enjoying — write to us at tx@standard.net.
Surreal nature hike
Are you bored this summer? If you like the outdoors and are ready for a moderate challenge, then Adams Canyon may be the place for you. The scenery is beautiful and the hike up this Layton canyon is a moderately difficult challenge
To reach the trail, take U.S. 89 to Layton and turn east on Cherry Lane, at the corner where Grounds for Coffee is located. Turn right (south) on Valley View Drive, then right on 1200 North which turns into Eastside Drive and leads to a dirt parking area at the trail head.
At first the hike may be tiring because you have to go uphill and crisscross across the side of the mountain but once you reach the top of that you can look over the valley. As you hike farther in you can hear the river and look down the canyon. There are a lot of ups and downs but it is fairly easy after the first part.
Hiking to the waterfalls can get pretty steep but the waterfalls are beautiful and worth the hike. The first one is a small waterfall on the waterfall scale but you can go underneath it and play. If you continue to the next waterfall, it will take another 30 minutes to an hour to hike but this one is larger and if you don’t mind getting your feet wet, you can take pictures or explore the pool of water at the base of the waterfall.
The Adams Canyon hike is a long one; it took me about four hours to hike in and back out, but depending on the amount of people on the trail and your pace it may be shorter. But the hike is well worth the time and energy. Plan at least four hours and bring plenty of water and maybe a snack. Don’t forget to wear appropriate shoes and attire; you can also bring a camera because the nature is surreal. Good luck and happy hiking!
Katie Baker,
Two Rivers High
Bonfire cooking
For some unknown reason the heat of summer is a great time for making bonfires, and the next best thing to playing with fire is cooking with it. Now everyone knows about the classics such as s’mores, roasted Starbursts and hobo dinners but there is a magical world out there filled with other delicious and easy foods perfect for those extra-warm bug-filled nights.
• Orange Cake: Start by taking an orange, cutting off the top and scooping out the sweet insides with a spoon. Mix a box of cake mix (unless you are pro and want to make cake from scratch) and fill the orange almost to the top. Put the top of the orange back on, wrap it in tin foil, set it in the embers, wait 10 minutes; rotate the little bundle and cook some more, then eat.
• Eclairs: There are two ways to create the form for the eclair: one, get a clean wooden pole or two, wad foil up on the point of a roasting stick to create an eclair shape. Wrap a Pillsbury crescent roll around the roasting stick, leaving an opening, and cook over a fire until baked. For the filling, squirt in canned whipped cream or spoon in the contents of a pudding cup. Top with chocolate pudding and enjoy.
• Banana Boats: DO NOT PEEL THE BANANA; just cut it about half-an-inch deep down the center, leaving uncut space at either end. Open the new cut and stuff it with as many chocolate chips and marshmallows as one’s sweet tooth desires. Then wrap the banana in four sheets of tin foil and place in the embers for 5 to 10 minutes, until the chips and marshmallows melt into a yummy gooey mess.
Have fun, eat well and try not to burn your eyebrows off.
Madison Ostberg,
Bonneville High
Playoff addiction
From the beginning of the NBA season, which got off to a late start, many thought the NBA finals would wind up being between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Miami Heat. Although what everyone predicted did end up being the case, I didn’t give up hope that by some small miracle the Utah Jazz would beat the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. So although the only games I watched during the regular NBA season were those that The Jazz played when they were swept by the Spurs, it felt as if it all ended too soon and so I continued to watch other playoff games.
So I’ve been hooked on the playoffs. They’re so different from regular season games because if you lose, you risk your season ending. There were times it seemed as if the Spurs would never lose again until the Thunder came along with their young team and put the veterans’ winning streak to an end.
It also became questionable if the Heat would even make it to the finals after losing one game to the Knicks, two to the Pacers and three to the Celtics. Would the losing pattern continue? Would the Heat lose four in the playoffs and give the young Thunder a victory or would one of the best players in the league — Lebron James — come in for the victory and finally put all of the jokes about not having a championship ring to rest?
In the end, the Thunder lost sight of one dream while the Heat grabbed hold of another, taking the victory in a 4-1 series. In every game that the Thunder lost, they were so close to getting the win but they just couldn’t do it — and this left me with my eyes glued to the screen. Now that the playoffs are all over, I find myself in search of something new to be hooked on until next year’s NBA season rolls around
Caitlynn Kindall,
Ogden High
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