Where Angels Fear to Tread

We figured, and rightly so, that it would be extremely unlikely to find a site still open in the national park campground in the afternoon. So we went directly to Plan B and unhitched the mule to scout for boondocking sites. We settled on a nice spot off of Sheep Bridge Road with eye-popping views of Zion park and Flying Monkey Mesa.

View from our campsite. Another reason to hate boondocking, not!

Flying Monkey Mesa?? Well, Technically, its name is Hurricane Mesa, but in the early 1950's the site was used to test supersonic airplane ejection seats. You can guess where the “flying monkey” came from. Yes, really. A little bit of interesting history behind the colorful name. Still, I feel sorry for the monkeys!

Poor monkeys launched from this mesa top - all in the name of safety and science.

We got set up and just hung out around the coach for the rest of the day. A car pulled up later in the day, it turned out to be the camp host for the first come/first serve campground in Zion. She wanted to ask us about boondocking and we got the skinny on the campground. Apparently it is full every day, with folks lining up at 5:30am to try and get a spot. After hearing that we decided to just make the 15-mile drive to the park and keep our lovely (and free!) boondock spot. She regaled us with stories of her camp host experiences. They are putting in 13-14 hour days – waaaaay too much work for a volunteer position in my opinion! Kudos to the volunteer staff, the parks literally could not operate without them.

​On Monday, 5/22, we drove into Zion National Park. At 10:00 in the morning the line to get into the park was daunting and there was already a sign posted stating the parking lot was full. We made a U-turn and found a shady parking spot in town. There is a shuttle from the town to the visitor’s center, but it wasn’t a long walk so we hoofed it. Inside Zion a separate shuttle system is used to get to the various overlooks and trailheads. While you can drive to a limited number of places, the scenic drive within the park is accessible only by shuttle. Given the crowds, it’s not a bad system. I can easily imagine the gridlocked traffic before the mandatory shuttle system was implemented. Ugh! 

We planned for an easy day, hitting the visitor’s center and two of the shorter hikes. Riverside Walk is mostly paved and follows along beside the Virgin River. 

The Riverwalk Trail follows the Virgin River.

Along the trail are hanging gardens watered by seeps in the canyon walls.

When cute fails, thievery prevails!
Rog had to wrestle him for the lid to our peanut butter. Lol.

End of the trail, from here you walk in the river to the Narrows.
For now, the Narrows slot canyon hike is closed due to high water volume.

We also did the Kayenta/Emerald Pools loop. The shady, cool canyons by the pools were a welcome relief from the heat. Did I mention we’re not freezing anymore??  In fact, temps are in the mid to high 90’s most of this week and we’re feeling it. Too hot. Too cold. Too hot. Too cold. Story of my life. Lol. The pools are populated by Canyon Tree Frogs. When they get to croaking it sounds like a herd of sheep bleating. Lol.  

Valley view from the Kayenta Trail.

Beautiful!

Pour over into the Emerald Pools.

Another shot down river.

One of most popular and insane hikes at Zion is the Angel’s Landing Trail. My brother, Tim, and friends, Mikey and Glen, did this hike and said it was a must do. Ok, so I am surrounded by evil.   The hike starts off innocently enough at the Grotto trailhead. You cross the Virgin River with lovely views up and down the canyon. Ahead a giant monolith of red rock rises above you. We’re going where? To the top of that?? Get out my white jacket with the long sleeves that tie in the back, I am officially certifiable.

Early morning light as we cross the river.

Who's crazy now???

The first part of the hike through Refrigerator Canyon is beautiful – cool and shady with lots of trees. Then the climb begins. Walter’s Wiggles is a series of 21 switchbacks that hug the side of the cliff, climbing steeply to Scout’s Lookout. This part of the hike is still very enjoyable. Yes it’s a workout and there are sheer drop offs, but the path is several feet wide and paved. No problem. 

 

Switchbacks begin the climb.

Refrigerator Canyon - cool. :)

Walter's Wiggles.
(Walter was a sadistic bastard. Lol.)

Scout’s Lookout is where the smart people take a break, have a snack, enjoy the views, and turn around.  Those of us with no sense or a deathwish continue the last half mile or so. First crossing the saddle and then up the Hogsback – 1500 feet above the canyon floor and which is (and I quote) “ridiculously steep and narrow, using chains that are bolted into the stone to keep you from sliding over the edge of the cliff.”  Only there are gaps in the chains!! No one told me that!! Lol.

At Scout's Lookout, contemplating the last half mile.
There is no try, only do. (Or chicken out!)

Sheer enough for ya?
Fall and you won't bounce until you hit the bottom.

Going up... and up... and up.

Yes, this is the trail. Now you see why I have a thing for chains?! Lol.

After all of that, the final objective comes into sight. The Landing. Please note, in spite of its name, I saw no angels here. Where angels fear to tread, did come to mind! Of course, this place also gives a whole new meaning to “fallen angel.” 😊 The sloped crest on top is roomy and you can breathe easier (at least until it’s time to descend!) and take in the absolutely incomparable vista. You have a fantastic view down the valley, and well just down…. way down. Lol.

Proof positive - we made it! (Notice I am leaning away from the edge. Lol.)

Outstanding views down the valley.
The light wasn't great for photos, but I'm not doing this again for a loooong time. So deal with it. Lol.

Looking down at the river (far) below.

That's my Angel on the Landing.

Crossing the top, ready to go back down.

Down and then across that narrow spine.
Palms are sweaty just looking at the pics - can't believe I did this! Lol.

Even though we were on the trail by 7:30am, the crowds coming up as we tried to go down made things even more challenging. In many places, there is just no (absolutely no!) room to pass – even if you could pry my fingers off the chain. 😊 It was like a conga line of crazy people. Lol. We were really happy to be done and off the trail before noon. Between the heat and the crowds, I don’t even want to imagine how bad it was later in the day. Angel’s Landing is considered a bucket list hike and I’m happy to say it’s now crossed off my list for good! Lol.

Walter's Wiggles are no longer deserted. 

Tomorrow will be a much more sedate day – at least for me. I have three weeks’ worth of laundry to catch up on while Rog hits the mountain bike trails.

Hoodoo Magic

Waaaay back in 1989, Rog and I did a six-week cross-country trip in our 24’ travel trailer. I was 8-months pregnant with Randi (one condition of driving cross-country was having a bathroom with me! Lol.). While time has made many of the memories of that trip a tad fuzzy, I do recall being absolutely enthralled with Bryce Canyon.  I was curious to see if would live up to my expectations. Yep, met and exceeded. 

Color, complexity, changing light.... the hoodoos are magic.

We arrived before noon on Monday, 5/15, and snagged a nice spot in the national park’s North Campground. The campground fills up almost every day so we considered ourselves lucky. There are no hookups, but the real advantage is being able to walk to the visitor’s center, access the paved bike trail, and do several of the hikes right from the campground. Sweet! And, after a week of no Verizon service we’re getting 2 bars of 4G. Now if only I had any data left this month, we are down to our last few gigs and it’s going fast. Lol.

That cold front I mentioned was due on Wednesday, so we wasted no time. After getting set up, we hit the visitor’s center and the most popular trail – the Queen’s Garden/Navajo Loop. When we were here in ’89, hiking (or waddling, given my condition at the time) down into the canyons was not the agenda. The hoodoos that make Bryce Canyon so magical are spectacular to view from the overlooks, but getting to walk down among them just ups the wow factor to a whole ‘nother level.

Walking among the hoodoos, not to be missed.

The landscape is so unique and surreal it defies description. I have officially run out of adjectives, I need more creative superlatives! I debated doing two posts so I could share even more pictures, but was afraid you might end up with a hoodoo overdose. 😊  I can’t seem to get enough of them! Be assured you are only seeing a teeny fraction of the pictures we took. Lol.

I am officially out of adequate adjectives! Please send more.

So what exactly is a hoodoo and why is this area hoodoo heaven? The definition of hoodoo (noun) is “a pinnacle or odd-shaped rock left standing by the forces of erosion.”  Water is the hoodoo sculptor. Torrential rains and melting snow erode the softer layers of rock, but the real force is “ice wedging.” Bryce has over 200 days a year when the daytime temp is above freezing, but then drops below freezing at night. (Yep, we can attest to that!) During these freeze/thaw cycles water seeps into cracks in the rock, expands as it freezes, and breaks the rock apart. Mother Nature never rests and the landscape is continually evolving. (I realize it’s been awhile, but no, I don’t think the hoodoos were that much taller last time I was here. Lol.)

Thor's Hammer on the left.

See, they haven't completely eroded since our last visit. :)

Aquarius Plateau in the background. Sinking Ship Mesa is middle left. 

One of the challenges of hiking the hoodoos is that all the major trails involve a significant amount of uppy-downy. Elevation changes ranges from a paltry (cough) 600 feet on the Queens Garden/Navajo loop, to 1571 feet on the Peekaboo Loop, to a toe torturing/butt busting 1716 feet on the Fairyland Loop. And yep, we did all three.

Switchbacks to get down to (and up from) the canyon floor.

The trail also cuts through some of the sandstone fins.

On Tuesday, we did the Peekaboo Loop. One of the aspects of Bryce that I find fascinating is the variety of colors. The hoodoos range from bone white to frosted pink, yellow, orange, pale lavender, brick red and every combination and variation you can think of. Most of the hoodoos are limestone, which in its pure state is basically white. Iron and manganese in the stone have oxidized to produce an endless palette of colors.

The colors are unbelievable!

The complexity and intricacy of the landscape is surreal.

You can't not smile here!

Hoodoos framed.

The Window Wall.

The pine trees provide some shade and welcome green.

After the hike, we drove into town to grocery up. We had a few smatterings of snow during the day but nothing that lasted more than a few minutes. The forecast was for accumulations of 1-2 inches on Wednesday and we decided to make that a coach day. I decided to make it a jammie day and stayed in them all day long. Lol. A couple of times it snowed pretty hard but then it would warm up, so we never got enough to really stick. With temps in the 20’s every night, dang it, I want more SNOW! Lol.

Thursday, we were back on the trails for the Fairyland Loop. I was really hoping to get some pictures of snow on the hoodoos, but there was only a light dusting left and that was mostly gone by early afternoon.

Just a little snow left. :(

View through a "window."

Fairy Castle is the dark formation in the center.

Mountain Columbine. Little joys along the trail.

Rog on the trail.

Boat Mesa.

Lots of trees among the hoodoos in the valleys. 

Tower Bridge. Named after London Tower.

More snow in the distance.

We hadn’t done the 38-mile scenic drive through the park yet, so we did that on Friday. Many of the overlooks are just spectacular, but my very favorite is Inspiration Point.  This is what I remembered from our trip in 1989!  Well that and the cold, it was freezing then too! Lol. Rog and I spent some time just watching the light change and the clouds move across the landscape. It can make the same view look totally different in a matter of minutes. We’ve seen some absolutely fantastic places, but it would be hard to top Bryce for its sheer beauty and complexity.

Inspiration Point. You could spend hours here and not be bored.

Incredible views in every direction. 

Natural Bridge.
Since it was not formed by running water, strictly speaking, it is an arch, not a bridge. Lol. 

Aqua Canyon.

Horseback riders in the canyon. Wouldn't that be fun? Next time!!

Happy Hoodooers. :)

Saturday was our last day here and the warmest – mid 50’s. Woohoo! So we bundled up and went for a bike ride. There is a very nice paved bike trail that runs from Bryce all the way to Red Canyon State Park, about 15 miles away. Rog was itching to ride the mountain bike trail in Red Canyon. It worked out great, because we could take the paved trail to the mountain bike trailhead. Rog rode the Thunder Mountain trail all way to the state park and the paved trail back to Bryce, 38 miles altogether. I was content to ride just part of the way on the paved trail, about 15 miles, and call it good. Rog did see some great scenery in Red Canyon and it looks like another area that would be fun to explore. But, after hearing his stories and seeing his newest rock rash, I’ll be doing it on foot! 😊

Rog got to bike among the hoodoos too!

Thunder Mountain bike trail.

Rog - mountain bike pano master! :)

I snapped a shot of this local vacation home and RV parked next to the bike trail. Lol.

We leave Sunday for Zion National Park. We’re going to have to make some adjustments to our “jello plan.”  I totally spaced on the holiday and had us moving twice over Memorial Day weekend. Not smart. So we’ll probably hang out around Zion a few days longer than we originally planned. We’re hoping for a spot in the park, but if that doesn’t work out, Rog has several boondocking options in mind. And you know how I hate to boondock. Lol!