Day 7 - Bryce Canyon

Page and Roman requested a light final hiking day so we planned a 2.5 mile hike into the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon. We arrived midday, had a light lunch, checked in to the lodge and then went out on our light hike.

At Zion you stay at the valley and hike up the canyon but on Bryce you stay the the top of the canyon and hike down into the valley. We hiked down winding switchbacks into Bryce about 500 feet in elevation down and then at the bottom decided to add on "about 30 minutes" to the original hike to the Peekaboo trail. Peekaboo is so named because it weaves in and out of the hoodoos to reveal sweeping views in every direction-- making for a sensational trail. See video example:

http://youtu.be/gRbU8cKe-vg

Halfway through Peekaboo we decided to take a one mile trail up out of the canyon. This trail ended up climbing 500 feet through a snowy narrow trail but we all made it out and decided to celebrate at the top. Pic 2 and 3. The trail back from our ending location was closed so we ended up walking three miles along the road. Twenty cars passed us before a nice couple from Chicago stopped and let us hitchhike back.

We went to a local hotel to watch the ncaa basketball tournament and then arose for a sunrise at inspiration point this morning. Pic 4. With the four hour drive to Las Vegas behind us now, we have completed four days of 12, 8, 10 and 7 mile hikes and are relaxing at the luxurious Delano hotel before our sushi dinner and Cirque de Soleil O show at 10. Life is good.

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Day 161 - JMT Purple Lake and Tully Hole

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Day 41 - Escalante Coyote Gulch

This one or two night Coyote Gulch hike was an easy test of my newly learned navigation skills. Anxious to get started I awoke at 545 just as the sun was rising. I followed an obvious landmark, a tall thin spire called Chimney Rock, northwest to Hurricane Wash (a drainage running into Coyote Gulch). After a couple of hours of walking up over and around slick rock, I entered the famous Coyote Gulch. The walls around me raised up, darkened and th water flow increased--like nature hinting at the scenic beauty ahead. The normally crowded Coyote Gulch was fairly empty on this early Thursday morning, giving the canyon a very peaceful and quiet feeling-- fragile almost. Down steam, I ran into the famous Jacob Hamilton Arch and then thirty minutes further-- the Coyote Natural Birdge. Both were beautiful due to their see through the wall character, but both would be overshadowed in my memory by the Stevens Arch tomorrow. Pics. By 1pm, I had hiked for six hours...

Day 31 - Carlsbad Caverns

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