Bryce Canyon was as I remembered it and then some - spectacular. When I was here in 1992 we faced clouds and rain but this time we had bright blue skies! Amazing. We did a trail combination of the Navajo trail and the Peekaboo trail. Pretty tough hiking with 1500' of elevation change and 5.9 miles. Our most aggressive hike so far and the kids did great. Lots of water consumed. All agreed that this was their favorite trail so far on the trip. Pictures don't adequately capture the scenery. Every 100' you are greeted with another perspective of the rock formations. I took 60 pictures! A great day! The next morning Garrett and I went for a mountain bike ride in the early hours. It was a bit frustrating at first with loose sand but the views and downhills justified the effort. Then Mom and Alise took a hike while the boys readied the camper for our next journey. The drive to Zion had two options....Interstate with some nice views or on a 'Scenic Highway' with narrow lanes, limited guardrails, mountain climbs, sheer cliffs, tight turns, up to 14% grades, etc. Yup, we took the Scenic Route and it was amazing. Dad was a bit worn mentally after all the driving concentration but well worth the investment.
The last two days in Zion National Park have been quite the adventure. Sunday we headed out early as crowds are quite heavy here, so heavy you can no longer drive through the majority of the park in the summer and have to use a shuttle system. Hats off to them, however, as the shuttle system is quite efficient. Zion has lots of short hikes, few 'medium hikes', and then it jumps up to significant hikes. We chose a significant hike, Observation Point, with the thinking that we'd simply turn back when the kids got tired. Well, it seems our hiking in the last few parks has increased the stamina of the family as we were able to complete the entire hike without protests! We then enjoyed lunch on top of the peak. Beautiful views of the canyon. Plus, a few additional views. First, we saw a Mule Deer Buck up close and personal. Second, one of Nathan's goals for the trip was to see a Peregrine Falcon. At Bryce the Ranger suggested this hike to see one...and viola, we were blessed to see one soaring in the thermals. Awesome. Lastly, not one of our goals, but quite the experience nonetheless, Garrett stepped within 1 foot of a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake who hissed and shook his rattles at him as we walked by leading our troop. He was pretty upset understandably. Mom didn't understand what was going on and walked right by it as well but didn't see it. Alise, Nathan, and I cautiously crept down the trail and then we heard the rattles so we stepped back. Thus started 15 minutes of observing our new friend as he separated the family and the brush was so dense there was no way through but the trail. He eventually tired of us, crossed the trail, and headed on his way. We then warned the first few people (by the way, we saw relatively 'few' people on this more strenuous trail - good!) of our new friend. And then Nathan found great joy in sharing with most of the rest of the English speaking travelers on the way down. And French. And German. Some of those didn't go as smoothly but I think he got his point across. All in all...we hiked 8 miles and ascended 2148 vertical feet. Did I mention the high was 97 degrees? Needless to say, we didn't see any other kids younger than teenagers on the trail.
Yesterday we took it a little easier with a nice hike to some spring fed pools at lower elevations. The highlight of this hike was our 3rd snake of the trip...a nice sized Gopher snake basking in the sun on the trail. We again patiently waited for him to exit stage right and then we advanced to the 'Narrows' trail where you actually walk up and through the Virgin River in a tight, tight canyon. Downside was lots of people. Oh, yeah, and the water was 56 degrees so a bit cold. Judith is not typically wired for 'cold' but she did great. Upside was gorgeous views of the canyon where you walk to the edge of the canyon and look up as sheer walls tower hundreds of feet above you. Plus mild rapids for the kids to overcome and enjoy. All were wet, laughing, and happy. We hiked about 8 miles altogether yesterday as well. Two full days and we're letting the kids sleep in this AM and recover. Next campground has no water and no power. It will be different than our experiences to date. Hope it is cooler!
Video LINK to see kids braving the river....
http://youtu.be/Wqssb3Jb4pU
Great shots!
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Bill really had many excellent pitcures. I never know Bill has another talent skill after I had worked with Bill for many years...:) I like all of the great stories too. It helps my family travel planning in future.
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