Bryce

I love Bryce Canyon. Isn't it gorgeous? I stopped on the way to Provo and hiked 2 miles into the park, then a 3 mile loop inside Bryce Canyon National Park then hiked 2 miles back to the car. I only saw about 4 groups of people all day. It was exhilarating having the place to myself. I was afraid it would be too snowy or slick for me to be able to get into the park, but although there was snow on the trail, it was traveled enough in recent days to be packed down and warm enough to be a bit slushy and not slick at all. I did run into some muddy spots though. Notice how sunny it was? It was so beautiful and sunny I was surprised by a late afternoon snow storm. I am such a desert rat, I wasn't very prepared for snow. Had it started an hour earlier, I would have been at a place far enough from the car that the trail would have been covered by snow and I would have been one of those unprepared people having to spend the night in the forest with a light coat on and a handful of sunflower seeds to survive on. I'd been on the trail before, and luckily it was a pretty straight trail out to the little town of Tropic where I parked my car. And luckily, the snow wasn't sticking and covering the path much. I began to think through the safety of my day though. I told Dave where I would be hiking before I left, but honestly except for hearing Bryce Canyon, I doubt he listened to the details of where I would be. So before I got out of the car, I left a detailed message on our home phone where I would be and what trails I would hike on all day. As it began to snow and I was still a 45 minute hike from the car, I thought through that great idea. I don't think there is one single person in our family besides me that has ever checked messages on our home phone. I'm not sure anyone even remembers how to retrieve messages. So basically I was on my own to trudge through the blizzard and hope to survive. Ok, a little dramatic, but I suppose I should plan more for my own safety in the future.