Bryce Canyon National Park, UT. 13-14 Oct 2012

We decided to take the scenic drive from Moab, UT to Bryce Canyon National Park, which was very beautiful.  It took us the majority of the afternoon to make our way to Bryce.  We arrived to the park right after sunset and just in time for the temperatures to begin to drop dramatically.  We were able to snag a camp site inside the park and quickly set up our site before we started to freeze.  Jeremy made a fire while I made dinner and we enjoyed our dinner in front of a roaring fire.  We weren’t able to relax for very long after the fire started to die down because it was just too cold.  By the time we hunkered in for the night, the temperature was well on it’s way to dropping into the 20’s (-2 C).  We bundled up for the night and fell asleep.

The next morning we woke up still freezing.  We packed up our our campsite and headed for a hike.  We decided to go to a popular lookout site called Bryce Point which provided breathtaking views of Bryce Canyon.  There were a few hikes branching off of the viewing area, some easier than others.  We were ambitious and decided to do the advanced hike called the Hat Shop.  The first half of the hike descended into the canyon with great views as we got farther and farther into the canyon.  The turnaround point showcased a group of amazing natural pillars, eroded, orange-colored pinnacles topped by wider, grey boulders.  The view literally looks like a cluster of hats set atop stands, hence the name of the hike.

Once we reached the turnaround point we were still full of energy.  We discussed going farther but decided to turnaround and head back up to the top of the trail.  It ended up being a good idea turning around when we did because the second half of the hike was purely uphill.  By the time we completed the hike we were out of water and completely exhausted.

We left the hike and drove to another great look out point in the park.  We had lunch while taking in the views before leaving the park.  After lunch we headed out and made our way to Zion National Park.

Mary