After a very cold and windy night, we were all a bit groggy and slow moving the following morning. It was another late start to the day and it took us a few trips between the shuttle stop and van to ensure we had everything we needed (hats, sunglasses, brushed teeth, and hiking boots). Once again, it was shortly before noon before we even got into the park.
Getting off the warm shuttle at the Sunrise Point bus stop took more effort than expected due to the gusty wind and frosty bite in the air. But we were going to make the most of the day and enjoy a proper hike (and prove the grumpy ranger wrong). We opted for the popular Queens Garden Trail and Navajo Loop which took us down into the amphitheater, past countless hoodoos, through a few natural tunnels and arches and then straight back up the mountain via Wall Street. Unlike Wall Street in the Narrows (which was named because you can reach out and touch both sides of the canyon walls), this Wall Street is a set of stairs and switchbacks that take you through very narrow paths in the limestone walls, straight up one of the gaps in the spires / hoodoos. It was such a cool experience and I am glad we ended the hike on this section of the trail.
The Navajo Trail ended at Sunset Point, which is just a quick walk away from Bryce Canyon Lodge where we headed for coffee and hot chocolate. The restaurant at the Lodge was closed, but we were pointed to the Valhalla Deck just across the parking lot for coffee and drinks. Randomly enough we ended up sitting next to a couple from Switzerland and had a nice conversation with them about our time living there, switching between English and German without a thought.
We slowly made our way back towards the visitor center to collect the Junior Ranger Badges (the kids didn’t know I had them) and to see if there was an additional prize for finding at least three trail medallions on our hikes (there was, but we didn’t find out until the next day). The visitor center unfortunately closed ten minutes before we got there and so the grumpy ranger’s plan of giving me the badges in advance actually turned out to be a positive move on his part.
That evening was spent enduring the chaos of the indoor swimming pool (part of the overall hotel and resort) and the subsequent chaos at the buffet (the only restaurant available within walking distance of our campsite.
Next stop: the visitor center one more time for the trail medallion prize and then: to be determined.
No comments:
Post a Comment