Bryce Canyon Beauty

Don’t ever tell Jason I wrote this, but he was right. We just needed a good shake down and since there was no time at home we had to do it on the road. After everything fell apart and we cobbled it back together, the trip has been smooth(ish) sailing. Well, except for the ant invasions. Or was it one invasion with multiple waves? I’m sure the boys could tell me the exact military nomenclature.

Thankfully, Bryce Canyon National Park was the beauty I didn’t know I needed to heal my soul. Bryce was also cooler temperature wise than our first two stops and our site felt more like camping with plenty of room to breathe between sites. 

The first night, we had a fire with s'more's, which apparently nobody likes anymore, “They’re gross mom.” Despite everyone’s vocal disdain for the sweet concoction this was my first chance to make and eat the sticky treat in years, so I was excited. I prepped my grahams with an entire bar of chocolate spread across the two sides. I then took great care slowly roasting my marshmallow until it was just the right amount of gooey. It was perfect. The chocolate was melty, and my mouth watered. As I took my first bite, the beautiful masterpiece collapsed and oozed everywhere. Somehow the stickiness reached both up and down my face and dripped down both hands onto my clothes. It was really too sweet to eat, but I persevered. It’s entirely possible that I still have chocolate and marshmallow bits sticking somewhere, even days later. 

After a lovely sleep-in the next day, we rallied to hike down into the canyon led by our fearless navigator Lucas. The reds and oranges of the hoodoos as we began our descent down the Queen’s Garden trail were nothing short of awe inspiring. While we’d been to Zion and Arches, also in Utah, the formations and colors at Bryce were uniquely her own. The trail wound down next to sheer cliffs, past shade from a few brave pine trees, and through tunnels. Once at the bottom we had a choice to make to climb back out: Thor’s Hammer or Wall Street. Jason really wanted to pass by Thor’s Hammer because he bought a shirt that features the hoodoo and he didn’t want to be inauthentic by wearing a shirt that showed something he hadn’t seen. After we pointed out the figure from afar he was satisfied and we finally decided on Wall Street as our hike out. As we began our ascent, the five of us were sucking wind at nearly 8,000 feet above sea level. It seemed impossible to breathe and left our muscles, and at least my brain, starved for oxygen. But when we turned a corner, it was all worth it. We had indeed chosen the best path. The trail wove up through a tight canyon where very little light filtered through and the space was cool and damp. What a nice respite from the heat and sun we’d been trekking through in the hours past. We’d managed to catch two of the most amazing sites in the park in one hike. And even though the remainder of the trail was straight up along switchback after switchback, my breath escaping me, my body tired, my heart was full (albeit beating way too hard) having shared one of the most beautiful places on earth with my favorites.