Slot Canyon Mommy + Me Adventure Session

Mom and Daughter Adventure Slot Canyon Session

Southern California + Anza Borrego State Park

Ever turn down an opportunity and then seriously kick yourself after you realized you passed up something incredible?

Well, that *almost* happened with this amazing mommy and me adventure session!

When Jennifer reached out to me about doing a mommy and me adventure session with her daughter Aria, we tossed around a few ideas with one of them being Joshua Tree and the other being a local-is slot canyon here in Southern California. After a little bit of research, I suggested we do Joshua Tree as I thought it would give them more opportunity for movement, which is usually pretty important for family sessions. The slot canyon felt like it would be too tight with not nearly enough room for play.

I couldn't have been more wrong (but more on that later).

Jen went against my suggestion (thankfully!) and decided that they would give the slot canyon a try. After giving it more thought and wrapping my head around it, I started to get super excited and couldn't wait for their session. Once the day arrived, I made the two hour drive out to the slot canyon and spent a little bit of time exploring it from one end to the other before Jen and Aria arrived. This time to myself really helped me envision the session and find the best spots on the trail for movement. I headed back to my car and quickly ate a snack and soon saw my dynamic duo pull up next to me.

We soon set out on the trail down into the slot canyon, slowly, allowing Jen and Aria to really take it all in and explore the nooks and crannies. As we made our way through, the light shifted and danced through the slot, giving us a show of various shadows and highlights. Continuing through the canyon, we eventually came out of the narrowest parts until it opened up and we could see that the weather looked like it might start to rain soon. They took a few minutes to drink some water and eat a snack before we turned around to come back the way we started. As we made our back, noticing how different things looked just in the opposite direction, we started to hear thunder and decided to pick up the pace because, as any desert-oriented person will tell you, you don't want to be stuck in a slot canyon during a storm.

After we made our way out of the slot, we took a few minutes to snack up and hydrate. We had talked about hitting two other spots after the canyon but with the weather I was hesitant to push our luck so we agreed to just one other location. I was, admittedly, a little bit nervous because of the storm and I had read that there was a good chunk of the "road" that was sandy and I wasn't sure how Jen's car would do since it wasn't four-wheel drive. This is the part where I tell you to do as I say, not as we did, because truth be told, we got lucky that evening.

Once we arrived at the sand part of the road, we were doing fine until I slowed down because I wasn't sure if we were about to miss a turn. When I did this, Jen slowed down too, which caused her to get stuck in the sand. We spent the next 15 minutes or so (it felt like an eternity, if we are being honest) trying to dig her wheels out of the sand. We used our hands and even trekking poles to try to get her out and when we finally did, I thought we would give up on this little mission and call it a day. We both went back and forth a bit and I could tell they wanted to still try to get out there and we were SO close. So they both hopped in my car and we drove the last 5 minutes, trying to beat the setting sun to our last location. ***

Our arrival was met by quite a few other cars which I found odd considering the trials and tribulations it took to get there. We quickly ran to a perfect little spot overlooking the canyon as we watched the sun set before us. After spending a little while here, we decided to head back before it got too dark, just in case. I dropped Jen and Aria off at her car, hugged goodbye, and the rest is history.

This was by and far one of the most adventurous sessions I have ever had, let alone a family session. It was also a great reminder that these kinds of sessions are not just reserved for couples but that anyone can enjoy them. And of course, an even better reminder to always be prepared for any adventure you may come across.

Enjoy some of my favorites from their gallery!

***It feels worth mentioning that I have a Subaru Outback with all-wheel drive that can handle the kind of conditions we encountered on the sandy road. I would absolutely not recommend this if you don't have a high clearance vehicle with all-wheel/four-wheel drive.