Bryce and Zion – Day 4

Bryce-Zion Day 4, Tuesday, Hiking Bryce Canyon

We do indeed live in a beautiful world. Sometimes we encounter such natural beauty that all we can do is just stare in silence – struck dumb, looking in wonder at the miracle nature has created for our pleasure and  delight, leaving us to ponder the mystery of our fragile world. 

Bryce Canyon is one of those places. I have hiked trails in the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains, hiked through central and western Oregon, hiked Glacier National Park in Montana, strolled along the Ocean in Southern California, hiked the Swiss Alps and the Alsace and Provence regions of France, picnicked in the Black Forest, meandered along the beautiful Costa Brava coast of Spain on the Mediterranean, hiked the Camino, and even climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, but none of those compare to the majesty of the hundreds of stone sculptures that make up the largest outdoor art gallery I have ever seen. The most famous of these sculptures is the Queen Victoria hoodoo.

Called a Canyon, Bryce is actually a giant amphitheater. Technically, canyons, like the Grand Canyon, are formed by rivers. Evidently, Ebenezer Bryce, a Mormon settler who named this magnificent place, did not know the difference. Amphitheaters, like Bryce, are formed by rain and wind. And because the sandstone is so soft with touches of iron and calcium, the freezing rain and fierce winds create an incredible maze of spires, hoodoos, windows, walls, and pinnacles. And when you hike down into this petrified forest, you understand why Ebenezer Bryce said “a hell of a place to lose a cow.”

I already know that hiking down into this large amphitheater will be one of the highlights of this trip. Parts of this amphitheater look like what may appear to be another planet. That’s the other feature. There are dozens of large amphitheaters within Bryce Amphitheater. 

We were supposed to bike this morning and hike in the afternoon, but due to the extreme weather change, we flipped our itinerary. Yes, after biking in 108 degrees on Sunday, we awoke this morning to 37 degrees and wind gusts of up to 30 mph. This Canadian cold blast is not only impacting us, but also places like Denver where they experienced 97 degrees on one day, and 37 degrees and snow the next. 

Because I am more of a runner and hiker than a cyclist, I ditched the cycling this afternoon, and instead went back down into my favorite sculpture garden in the world – the Bryce Amphitheater. While we hiked in the afternoon around the rim, I saw a few flakes of snow!

In addition to the various rock formations, several rare species are found at Bryce. One species that survives and thrives in Bryce’s  barren environment are Bristlecone pines, some of the oldest living organisms on earth. We see some of these as we descended into Queen’s Garden.

We then joined the Navajo Loop Trail and hiked through Wall Street, an impressive slot canyon with overhanging walls that are only 10 feet apart in some places. We then did a steep climb after Wall Street to the rim at Sunset Point, with stunning views of the hoodoos below.The following photos are of the Wall Street narrows.

One side note – the altitude has impacted me much more than I thought it would. After biking at 8,000 to 10,000 feet most of yesterday, I developed a massive headache and mild nausea. Last night I did not sleep well because of the headache and having shortness of breath at times. I thought that because I had made it up to 19,000 feet while climbing Mt. K, I could handle 10,000 feet. However, what I forgot is that I had taken Diamox tablets before the Mt. K climb. And to this day, I believe taking those tablets is the reason I made it to the top. And if I had taken Diamox tablets before and during this trip, I would not have experienced those discomforts.

Despite that misstep, this trip has been wonderful. And I am acclimating as I write this. I am looking forward to more cycling tomorrow as we head towards Zion, the other highlight of our trip.
Cheers!