Road Trip: Bryce Canyon National Park

(April 26th, 2007)







I'm glad I stayed another day. Zion National Park got my heart pounding, but it's not nothing (visually speaking) on Bryce Canyon National Park. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I left off last time having just happily set up camp at Bryce Canyon. That night (last night) I learned something new about Bryce Canyon: it's much higher in elevation than Zion NP (over 3000 feet higher, in fact, at over 8100 feet). This means, of course, that it's much, much colder at night. I wasn't exactly prepared for last night's frigid 23 degrees ice box. Despite pulling on nearly all my clothes and burying myself in my sleeping back I woke up this morning stiff, sore and still a little cold. It's a small price to pay for not planning much in advance.

Anyway, back to Bryce Canyon National Park. As I already said, it's a stunning park. All hikes starts at the top of a plateau and from there you hike down among thousands of spires and peaks (they're called hoodoos). Coming around nearly every corner I'd stop in my tracks, pull my camera out, and snap a few shots. I felt compelled to do so. In fact, I managed to kill my battery in my camera in just a few hours (this is probably a good thing -- I had already taken way too many pictures). Looking through the pictures now they all pretty much look the same. But I promise you that even a 10 minute hike down into the valley below will get your camera finger itching.

Speaking of 10 minute hikes, it was in Bryce Canyon that I (re-)realized that we (Americans) are fat and lazy. Perhaps it's just the European wanderlust, but during my two days of hike I've seen more Germans, Italians, and French on the trails than Americans. By the time I was at the end of the Bryce Canyon Hike (about 5 miles from the parking lot), I was surprised when I ran into someone speaking English. This does have some advantages. I was approaching one couple that sounded like they speaking German so as I snuck past them on the trail I let out an "Entschuldigung!", German for "excuse me." They didn't respond and seemed a little startled so they were either not German or just surprised to hear someone speak German to them. Either way it was fun.

But aside from quick moments like that it's sad that more people are flying nearly 1/2 around the world to visit America's beauty than we Americans are. And I know there are Americans in the park, I see them at the visitor center. But they seems deathly afraid of stepping foot onto the trails. I've seen several Americans pull up to a vista, leave the car running, dash out for a quick view and a picture, then run back to the car. Just turn the car off and enjoy the view for a minute, please!

Back near the end of the Bryce Canyon hiking loop I ran into 3 Americans, no more than 100 feet from the beginning of the trail. The woman bringing up the rear was dressed in a black leather jacket, tight black jeans, and 2 inch thick heels. As I walked by she tells me, "If they had told me what we were going to be doing I would have wore more appropriate shoes!" I didn't know what to say. She's in a national park. Wouldn't you expect to walk around, at least a little bit?

Complaints about Americans aside, Bryce Canyon is probably the most beautiful hike I've ever done. So I'm two for two with national parks. It's still relatively early so I'm about to climb into my car and make the 4 hour trek over to Moab tonight. Tomorrow is going to be fantastic, I'll be trying out mountain biking on the world famous Slick Rock trail.