Another weekend away - Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks

A couple weeks ago, Cory and I took a weekend away to explore another one of Utah's famous national parks. This time it was Bryce Canyon, which is about an hour an a half further than Zion. We arrived on Friday afternoon and set up our tent outside the park in a sprinkle of rain. I was a little thrown off by our campsite because, although we had reserved a spot, it was sort of a first-come, first-served type of deal, nothing was numbered, there was only one potable water spout for the entire campground and two outhouses served everyone as well. It was all run out of a Cheveron station. Very strange.

Anyway ... we got set up, then decided to drive into Bryce Canyon National Park. It is a disorienting park because the entrance is at the north end, and you drive south to the furthest point in the park. It's a relatively small park - only about 18 miles from one end of the road to the other. The main portion of Bryce is serviced by a shuttle bus, but the rest of it can only be reached, but car, so we drove to the southernmost point - Rainbow Point - and began to make our way back north, stopping at every pull-off point along the way.

Bryce is at a much higher altitude than the other parks of similar structure (Zion, Grand Canyon), and everyone warned me to dress in layers because I would be cold, but I was surprisingly comfortable. I was also pre-warned that this was no Zion, and I agree with that as well. It took me awhile to realize that the reason why most national parks are spectacular is because you can look out at what makes them so fantastic; you are surrounded by the park's beauty. At Bryce, you stand on what makes Bryce so famous. If look out in the distance, you just see land and even small towns. So when we stood at Rainbow Point and other look-outs the first day, I wasn't all that impressed. It was beautiful - yes - but not spectacular.

There isn't a lot of hiking in the southern portion of Bryce Canyon National Park (though we do plan to return next summer to hike for a few days below the rim, a trail that winds all over the souther part of the park), so we sort of did the touristy thing, pulling off to take pictures of the delicate rock features along the road. I thought the natural arch was pretty cool, but I would have liked to have hiked below it and see it from below.

That night we got a touch of soothing rain, which sounded so relaxing tapping on the outside of our tent, but by the morning it was dry and the sun was out.

We got up and caught the shuttle bus and headed to Bryce's most famous point of interest: the Amphitheater. We rode the shuttle to the southernmost stop (Bryce Point) and began our day of hoodoo viewing. The hoodoos - the orange rock features that stick up like otherworldly creatures - are actually quite stunning. Very unusual and like anything I've ever seen before. We rode the shuttle from stop to stop, plotting our course for the afternoon's hike and taking an array of photos. We stopped to eat our picnic lunch at the Bryce Lodge, then headed toward Sunrise Point to begin our hike.

While most people drop down onto the Navajo Trail or make it below the rim just a couple hundred feet before realizing they'll have to hike back out, we headed in with full gusto. An afternoon storm was coming in, and lots of people rushed out while we just pulled on our ponchos for a few minutes of rain.

Being at the bottom of Bryce Canyon among the hoodoos is a lot different than being on top looking at them. In fact, my entire perception of the park changed once we had left the rim. (You can read more about this in my Kaleidoscopic Wandering post.) We wander thrugh a good portion of the Queens Garden Trail (the highlight of which was probably the fantastic cairn garden we happened upon), then bypassed the Navajo Trail and headed to the Peekaboo Loop Trail. This 3-mile trail was definitely a moderate hike, with lots of uphill and downhill. Once we hiked onto the trail and were facing the park to the west, we were completely surrounded by the hoodoos. It was absolutely stunning. The trail continues to meander through arches carved into the rock and into shaded areas where lone bristlecone pines grew. Cory took some really gorgeous photos of this hike.

We finally made it back to the Navajo Trail, the most popular trail in the park because people can walk through the hoodoos in an area called Wall Street. Basically the hoodoos are so close together that you can barely see the sky. I will admit, it was a very cool site, unfortunately there were a million and a half people there, so some of the grandeur of the occasion was sucked away by the masses. Nonetheless, it was fun to walk through the hoodoos and up the switchbacks (which we found surprisingly not steep at all - other people were truly huffing and puffing, though).

I'm glad we took the time to walk our seven miles through the Amphitheater. I think Bryce Canyon, while a spectacular park, is not fully enjoyed until leaving the rim.

We decided to take a different route home, which led us to Cedar Breaks National Monument, a little-known, under-visited beauty also located in Utah. Read more about Cedar Breaks in this post on Kaleidoscopic Wandering, but suffice to say that I agree with the statement that, if it was located anywhere else, Cedar Breaks would be considered a natural wonder. It's a small park and we didn't spend much time there, but at more than 10,000 feet in elevation, it was a refreshing stop before heading back to the Las Vegas heat.

And ... though the camping stuff is unpacked once again, the summer is still filled with exploration and wonder. Check back for upcoming trips to Great Basin Natonal Park and Burning Man. Not to mention our usual array of Las Vegas fun and interspersed craziness. Gotta love life!

Canyons and cliff faces,

JoAnna

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming - California Part Two

Okay, faithful readers. Stick with me here. We've been so busy that we have to back up, post a bit more about our trip to California and Cory's trip to Oregon before we move on to our latest getaway this past weekend to Utah. Yes, this has all happened in the month of July. Stick with me ... the next few posts are going to fly by fast.

So ... I take you back to California. We were near Mojave eating Mexican food and visiting exotic cats ... remember?

I’ll be the first to admit it: If I’m a sucker for national parks, then I’m definitely a sucker for those national parks that float under the radar. Well, it doesn’t get much more under-the-radar than Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, two joined parks that live in the shadow of the famous park to the north, Yosemite.

We arrived at the southern entrance to Sequoia National Park well into the afternoon, and knowing we were looking for a first-come, first-served campground, we took off up the windy road into the park at a 35 MPH clip. I fumed in frustration as we passed one full campground after another as we drove all the way through Sequoia before finding one lonely, vacant spot in Kings Canyon. I was quickly rewarded with a stunning sunset as the boys set up shop at our campground.

Our first full day in the area was spent exclusively in Sequoia National Park, south of the Lodgepole Visitor’s Center. Sequoias are the largest trees in the world by sheer volume (not by height), and the largest of all is the General Sherman. It’s a big tree, to be sure, but the three of us (Cory, my dad and I) found more solace on the less crowded, more spectacular Congress Trail. Once we got off the beaten path, we were able to wander up to, around and between the trees. In two places along the trail we came upon mini “groves” of sequoias, which were called The House and The Senate. Cory took some spectacular pictures of the light coming through the canopies.

I’ve tried to pinpoint what it is that really makes these trees so magnificent, and I think that it’s that every one of them, while all sequoias, are very different from each other. Because they’ve survived thousands of years of forest fires, disease and harsh weather, some of them are hollowed out in parts or grown over rocks and other natural barriers. One of my favorites had partially swallowed up a gigantic rock and it looked like the tree trunk was blowing a piece of bubble gum.
In an area called Crescent Meadow we saw a bear scratching on a log (thanks to Cory’s good hearing), and happened upon Tharp’s Log, a fallen, hollowed out sequoia tree which this guy lived in for 30 summers while his cattle grazed. We also climbed the 400 steps to Moro Rock, which looks out over the Sierra Nevadas. While it has the potential to be beautiful, there were somewhere close to a gazillion people on the trail (including a really stupid woman wearing high heels and a short skirt smoking a cigarette … really? Really?).

Kings Canyon was a lot less crowded. It also has a large grove of sequoia trees, including the second largest tree in the world, the General Grant. Near this grove is an area of sequoias that were pillaged way back in the day. The trail that runs through here is actually called Stump Trail because that’s all that’s here. You can get on top of the Mark Twain Stump with a ladder, and it’s impressively large, though quite sad.

One of our favorite sequoias was an oversized snag, which means it was dead and burned out. It was off a dirt road and unmarked, but what made it so special is that John Muir had removed pieces of it to study once it had died. You can still see where his ax marked the tree. It was very cool to think we were standing where John Muir once stood.

To really escape the crowds, we took the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway to Road’s End where … well … the road ended. This far back in the canyon we ran into backcountry hikers and anglers. Once here, we decided to take a long hike—nearly 10 miles round trip—to this gorgeous waterfall called Mist Falls. We met this guy there who hikes out to the falls up to ten times a year to try to take the perfect picture of the falls, which he hasn’t achieved yet. The hike was totally worth every step, and we were lucky (?) to see four snakes, two of which were rattlesnakes. Though none of us is particularly fond of snakes, it is pretty cool to come upon them in the wild—especially the rattlers.

The other really spectacular thing we did in Kings Canyon National Park was drive up to Panoramic Point. I guess you could liken the overlook point to Moro Rock, but it was far less crowded and I, personally, thought the view was much more rewarding.

Like any vacation duration, our time in Sequoia and Kings Canyon was, of course, too short. But we had to move on to bigger, though not necessarily better, and more popular places.

Sweeping vistas and camping under the stars,

JoAnna

Pre-Peru Preparation

And the countdown begins!

Cory and I leave for our trip to Peru on Friday, so this weekend has been a flurry of activity putting together the last minute details. Since we both work through the week, we also packed our bags. First we set everything out and took stock of what exactly we had.

We tried really hard not to overpack. It is okay (we told ourselves) to wear the same pair of hiking socks for three days. In order to make room for some of our larger things (like the sleeping bags and hiking boots), we had to sacrifice some standard items.

No worries. We got everything to fit ... and we already have our clothes picked out for the plane ride on Friday.

We are a bit worried about transporting the hiking poles, but we're told they're practically a necessity when hiking the Inca Trail because the trail is exceptionally steep in parts and the altitude is so high. Other than that, everything seems to fit well ... and we even have some room to spare (if something the size of a peanut wants to squeeze in).

This trip is the first time either of us has been to South America, and after we return, I will have been to six continents. Cory will have been to four. We're both super stoked!

We fly through L.A. both coming and going, and though our flights to Peru all work out well, it's going to take us a long time to get home. We have a seven-hour layover in Lima on a Saturday night, and we're thinking about maybe taking a whirlwind tour of the city (though nothing has been confirmed yet). And, after spending eight days trekking and exploring (and spending seven hours in Lima), we have a 13-hour layover in L.A. on Easter. Luckily for us, some friends have opened their doors so that we can have Easter brunch with their family and visit Hollywood (or other Orange County highlights) before we hop back on a plane for our final flight into Las Vegas.

The goal is to stay unplugged while we're traveling, but as soon as we return, I'm sure we'll have stories and photos and videos to share with the world. Stay tuned ...

Tevas and Keens,

JoAnna

A Full Four Days

'Tis the season to get in the holiday spirit.

My parents came into town for Thanksgiving, and the 4-day weekend went by too fast. Cory made a fantastic dinner. It was by far the easiest and fastest Thankgiving dinner I've ever seen put together. For the first time in my life I watched the entire Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, and I followed that up with the Purina dog show.

Mom and I went shopping the day after Thanksgiving - what a zoo! We were really on the hunt for a new dishwasher ... happy holidays to us! Luckily there are even sales on appliances the day after Thanksgiving, and we can stop washing by hand in just a few short weeks. We also got to introduce Dad to REI.

I was really excited to put the Christmas tree up this year. Our new house has an exceptionally high ceiling so we decided to get a bigger tree than the 6-foot tree we've been putting up since college. We decided to get a 7.5-foot tree with pine cones and berries on it, and we strung lights up and down every branch. Fast fact: Our tree has 600 lights on it. Another fast fact: Our cat, Toby, thinks he can eat the berries.

We did a little bit of the tourist thing and went down to the Strip to watch the Bellagio fountains one evening. The weather was beautiful and it was a great evening to walk through some of the shops and watch the dancing water.

We closed out the week with a hike up at Red Rock. We haven't been there since last spring, and we had a fantastic time. We took the Pine Creek Canyon trail and stopped to watch some rock climbers spider their way up the rock face. We love to go hiking with Dad. Our next big group hike? Rim to rim of the Grand Canyon next spring.

Busy and festive ~

JoAnna

Knee Deep in the Creek

One week ago today Cory and I stepped into the cold running water of the Virgin River in Zion National Park. We were compelled to make it out to Zion one final time this year to hike the Narrows, the slot canyon at the northern end of the shuttle route in the park. The Narrows is no ordinary trail. This hike requires water slogging - A LOT of it - and it can be quite chilly in a space that can easily be a wind tunnel and gets little sun.

Our goal was to hike five miles upriver to the campsites that hikers stay at when they through-hike the river from the top. For the first two miles we were joined by hordes of day hikers in everything imaginable - bikinis, barefeet, and even a big guy wading in his skivvies. Like I said, this is no normal guy's hike and it was frightening to see the number of people on the river unprepared. While you can rent special boots and pants for the Narrows hike, we outfitted ourselves and did pretty well. I wore: a sweat-wicking sports bra, a sweat-wicking tank top, Under Armour long sleeve shirt and tights, UV tank top, fleece sweatshirt with hood, light-dry cargo pants, wool hiking socks and Keens. We also brought along hats, gloves, extra clothing to keep our cores warm and extra socks.

At two-and-a-half miles, we came to a point where a second canyon joined the Narrows. After that, the hikers became scarce and the scenery became even more exquisite. Unfortunately, it is so dark in the canyon that it's difficult to take pictures, but the walls were covered in thick moss and ferns and waterfalls that sounded like timpani drums ran out of cracks in the canyon walls. We even found one section of the wall covered in insect exo-skeletons.

Around three miles into the hike we came upon Wall Street, an amazing portion of the hike where the canyon narrows significantly and sheer canyon walls rise straight up on both sides. It's the part of the hike where I really felt at the mercy of nature. If anything had happened at this point - flash flood, rock slide, etc. - we would have had nowhere to go. There were no sandbanks on either side of the river, and we had to carefully navigate our way up the rushing water through slippery rocks. At one point, the water was nearly up to my waist.

Four miles in we hit a portion of the river filled with huge boulders we had to scramble over and navigate around. At this point, we were only sharing the river with a few interspersed hikers and a significant number of trout. Not knowing what time it was, but knowing we'd been on the river for quite some time, we stopped at four-and-a-half miles to eat our sandwiches before turning around and heading back. Only two other groups of people passed us as far as we could tell.

Now, I would have thought getting downriver would be easier than the trek up it, but it wasn't at all. In fact, I moved so slowly and had to concentrate so hard on getting my footing that, once we were back in a place with other people, hikers were passing us right and left. Going back down the river I fell twice, but luckily just my arms were wet from catching myself and not my actual core.

Triumphant, we made it back to camp in one piece, though a bit stiffer than when we'd left. Who knew we had all these unknown muscles? We can check the Narrows off of our list of things to do in this lifetime - though now we're talking about taking the through-hike from the top of the river. Another day...

See more of our pictures from the Narrows here.

Wet and dirty,
JoAnna

Zion: Where Angels Come to Play

Not all destinations are created equal.

I say this because not only did we visit an unbelievably beautiful and mesmerizing destination over Labor Day, but we chose to live in a place that offers us such wonderful access to some of our country’s most amazing national parks. I knew we made the right decision when we chose to move to Las Vegas last year.

But to get back to the unbelievably beautiful and mesmerizing destination of Zion National Park,located in southern Utah… Declared a national park nearly 100 years ago, much of this park is inaccessible to people, and in the main canyon area of the park, a shuttle bus service runs a circuit, dropping people off at trailheads and viewpoints. It’s quiet, clean and unobtrusive.

Zion is a family-friendly park that can be enjoyed from viewpoints and short hiking trails, but like any camping trip, our journey to Zion was filled with strenuous hiking, cliff-hugging adventures and promises to return. We were lucky enough to have my dad join us on the trip, which is always a treat. Together, the three of us explored just about every nook and cranny up and down the main shuttle route.

At Weeping Rock, I was reminded of the unique ecosystems that exist within this park. Although technically in the desert, the Virgin River runs through Zion and rainfall that seeps through the sandstone drips off of the limestone below it creating hanging gardens and moss that covers rocks resting next to cacti.

Many of the named monoliths in the park are named after religious objects and people. The Great White Throne, the Altar of Sacrifice, Angel’s Landing (more on this in a minute) and the Three Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) are overwhelming and stunning with their sheer drop offs and seemingly carved-out arches.

On Saturday we took a hike to Hidden Canyon, a secluded narrow ravine set high up in the hills. We were thrilled by the fact that parts of the trail required we hold onto a chain so as not to fall off the edge, and the stone staircases carved into the side of the hill felt ancient and secretive. Hidden Canyon itself was narrow and required some rock scrambling as we made our way back to a free-standing arch. It’s always so gratifying to me when the really rewarding features take some work to see. The big treat on this hike was the spotted owl that Cory saw resting in a tree. White, fluffy and completely unexpected, the owl perched quietly as we stared at it in amazement.

We received a little bit of rain Saturday night and Sunday morning, but once the sun started burning through the clouds, we headed for Angel’s Landing, a peak we’d been talking about since learning about it on Saturday. Angel’s Landing juts into the middle of the park and is accessible by a two-and-a-half mile trail that climbs 1,488 feet. It was muggy when we started up the trail, which quickly left the road and led back toward the “hill” (as Cory liked to call it) where the trail grew increasingly steeper. A lazy set of switchbacks turned back behind Angel’s Landing in a deceivingly flat, shady trail. Once we reached the end of the easy part, the trail turned 180-degrees as we headed up the 21 steep switchbacks known as Walter’s Wiggles. From there we ended up at Scout’s Point, where we were met with a sign warning us of hazardous conditions ahead. We had reached the first real challenge of the day. The trail led around a chunk of the mountain that again had a chain to help from falling, but this time the chain meant business. There were parts of the trail that required we rely heavily on the chain in order to avoid falling off the cliff face. I found it challenging; being short, I struggled occasionally to reach the next step up and I had to use the chain to drag myself up the rock. As we turned the final curve, I couldn’t believe what I saw in front of me. Angel’s Landing lay half a mile in front of me, straight up a narrow, rocky ridge not more than three feet wide in places.

“Holy balls,” I distinctly remember myself saying.

“Oh shit,” Cory said.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” the guy behind Cory said under his breath.

A man standing next to me laughed. “I love hearing people coming around the bend,” he said as we both looked at the treacherous path that lay before us. He told me that people coming back said the climb was worth it, but that lots of people got to the point we were at and made the decision not to continue. “It’s okay to stop here,” he said. “I am.”

But I wasn’t quitting. I don’t think I ever really thought about not finishing the climb to the top of Angel’s Landing. It just took me by surprise. What an intimidating endeavor, but one I will remember for a lifetime and feel proud of conquering.

We set off on the climb, pausing occasionally to rest, drink water and, yes, watch a California condor sunning itself on the side of the cliff face. We hauled ourselves up sand-slippery boulders and wedged ourselves into cracks as we let people pass us going in the other direction. We navigated around rocky corners and adjusted our footing to balance as we peered over the edge of the cliff and pointed out other hiking paths we’d climbed and bus stops we recognized. We became talented in a new sport I think should be in the gymnastics competition of the Olympics: uneven balance beam. Like a broken and dirty matchstick resting between the Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower, the ridge we traversed became our momentary Everest.

Half a mile later we reached the peak of Angel’s Landing, a stunning viewpoint from which we seemed to be able to see the entire park (though this isn’t really true). Without any cars running down the spine of Zion, the view was really marvelous. Now that we were at the top of one of those monoliths, we could see the ribbon of the Virgin River, the winding sandstone road with the occasionally propane-powered bus meandering down it, the lonely lodge and the steep path we had climbed.

At the “lunchroom” on top of Angel’s Landing, people joked about how a waitress on roller skates would be by any minute to take our beer orders. As we munched on fruit and chips, Dad, Cory and I pondered the little things that surrounded us. When does a rock become a boulder, a boulder become a hill and a hill become a mountain? How did the chipmunks get to the top of Angel’s Landing? We marveled at the Korean hikers who flew by us going up and coming down, and we commented on the shoes and clothing people were able to climb in.

It was amazing being on the top of the world. Climbing Angel’s Landing is, I think, the closest thing I’ve ever done to climbing a mountain, and I’m really excited the three of us did it.

As we sat by the campfire on Sunday night, we made plans to come back and hike The Narrows—an upriver hike that requires some swimming. Perhaps we’ll add that on to the end of our rim-to-rim Grand Canyon adventure next summer. The campfire crackled, the smoke blew through the air, the stars shined, people laughed and talked quietly in sites around ours, and we basked in the glory of another fantastic camping trip in a place that is clearly superior to so many others.

Check out our other Zion pictures here.

Camelpacks and hiking boots,
JoAnna

The Dirt Between My Toes

My fingernails are translucent. My hair has lost its built-up grease. I smell like body wash and lotion. I know the time by hours and minutes again.

Ahhh...the joys of camping. I love the fact that nothing is perfect when we pitch a tent. It's okay to look unkempt, smell unclean, wear unmatched clothing and do what we want when we want. In nature, the only thing that matters is...well...how we enjoy it. Cory and I both agree that we are constantly in awe with the world that surrounds us and the wonders that nature has created. Our church is the towering trees and desolate deserts, the cool breeze and hot wind, the widest oceans and the highest mountains. Our visit to the Grand Canyon was the first for both of us, and it's true what they say. Nothing can prepare a person for the enormity of this huge, awe-inspiring hole in the ground. Throughout the weekend we looked across the canyon, into the canyon and around the canyon from several points along the North Rim, and every single one of those moments truly blew me away. Talk about putting a person in her place. I felt small and insignificant. In the "grand" scheme of things, we aren't that big after all.

Camping for the two of us is the equivalent of lots and lots of hiking. We took a few shorter hikes with interpretive stops with our roomie Mike on Friday where we learned about the cliff rose, the Kaibab squirrel (which only lives on the North Rim and nowhere else in the world), lightning storms, controlled fires, Ponderosa Pine and other assorted nature-related things. We drove the North Rim stopping frequently to gawk at the canyon below us. On several occasions we scanned the bottom with the binoculars trying to make out the outlines of people who were hiking rim to rim. All day I thought I had my eye on the trail, but at the last stop I found out I'd been looking at a dried up creek bed the entire time. Guess those weren't people after all.

On Saturday Cory and I hit the Widfross trail - a five-mile trail that led us through pines and meadows to a fabulous lookout point. This part of the North Rim can only be seen from this point. There's something particularly satisfying about working to see or experience something. This was no exception. Not only was the view fantastic, but the trail was wonderful as well. It rolled through a startling array of wildflowers and we saw three mule deer and a male Western tanager which was beautiful. We were drizzled on a bit in the morning, but by the afternoon the sun had come out in full force.

We drank coffee from the North Rim Lodge as the sun pulled the colors from the rocks and we basked in the silence as it fell on the Western edge in the evening. Is there anything greater than this? Is there?

One of my favorite things about the National Park Service is the abundance of learning opportunities it offers. We went to three ranger programs while visiting the Grand Canyon. I was never one to boast mad skills in science class, and I think that's because everything I learned was stuck in the classroom. But when the rangers talked about the cycle of life in the canyon, everything made sense because I'd walked through the trees, seen the animals and observed the wake of a wildfire.

Life makes so much more sense when you live it.

It's for this reason that I like the dirt between my toes and smoky smell on my skin. I enjoy the heat of the sun and taste of unfiltered potable water. Time is not hours and minutes - it is moments in life when we cherish the details.

Wishing you Grand Canyon-sized cheers ~
JoAnna