We made it! The weather and snow plows cooperated, allowing us to leave Bryce around noon today. We spent morning visiting a few spots in Bryce Canyon National Park before heading out. There would be no hiking like last year because of the freshly-fallen snow burying all of the trails, but we were able to visit a couple spots we couldn't go last year. The views were breathtaking. Unfortunately the bitter cold and wind were also taking our breath away. Sooooo cold! We're talking below zero with the windchill.
After withstanding all we could of the weather at Bryce, we happily hopped back in the car and headed through the beautiful stretch of Utah known as the Grand Staircase to Zion National Park. Heading into the park was like returning home. This was definitely our favorite stop of last year's journey. Seeing the towering red rocks blanketed with pure white snow against the backdrop of a beautiful blue sky was indescribable.
Having spent a fair amount of time here last year, there remained only three more hikes for us to do. Luckily, these were the three longest hikes in the park. With three hours till sunset, we decided to attempt the shortest of the three, a hike we had attempted last year, only to turn back three-quarters of the way up after encountering worsening weather and snowdrifts up past our knees.
This time the hike was snow-covered, but much less death-defying. We made it to the end of the maintained portion of the trail and continued on with the promise of a free-standing arch and further beauty. It was an incredible hike, one Greg rates as one of his all-time favorites. The unmaintained portion of the trail was mostly flat, with 20-50 foot red stone walls on both sides and occasional obstacles that required a little imagination and scrambling to overcome. Once, we threw several large rocks in a small pool so that we could step from rock to rock to get to the other side. Another time, we stood on a fallen tree and leaned against a rock wall as we shimmied our way to the top of another tall rock. So much fun!
We got back to the car right around sunset and drove to our hotel to check in. After about five full-armed trips, we were settled in to our home for the next three nights. But, before we were too comfortable, we had to go pick up some groceries and find ourselves a little dinner. Our fave from last year, Oscar's, provided some delicious grub and may very well be our spot tomorrow night too.
That brings us to the present... I'm sitting here on my computer finishing up the ol' blog while Salina plays a little Guitar Hero. You gotta love the vacation. Can't wait for another fantastic day in Zion tomorrow!
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