Bryce Canyon National Park
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Sunset Point to Bryce Point Bryce Canyon National Park |
September 29, 2010
Looking for a nice walk as a warm-up for a possibly grueling adventure in Zion
Park tomorrow, I have driven nearly 600 miles today, including a scenic unpaved
byway that topped out at exactly 10,000 feet. I reach the Sunset Point
overlook in mid-afternoon. This rates to be a good time to be on the
trail here, although I doubt that there is a bad one.
Sunset Point view
This is probably the most popular trailhead in the park. It begins in a spectacular fashion, with 600 feet of switchbacks down into a dark canyon.
A trailside window provides a view of — another window
Start of the Navajo Loop
One of several man-made tunnels
The observation area is right up there
Down in the canyon, a photographer has set up a camera on a tripod and is scurrying down in front of his remotely controlled unit for a selfie.
Entrance to the canyon's attractions
Already the crowd has thinned out. The Japanese women in sandals have had enough, and some others might be finding the air temperature too high for their liking.
Looking up the switchbacks
The canyon bottom
I have been fond of this tree for nearly fifty years
What does that formation resemble to you?
The Navajo Loop Trail veers left here, but I've been there and done that.
A quarter-mile spur to the right begets another junction. I opt for the
right-hand fork again, because it leads closer to a special attraction.
The fantastic formations, called hoodoos, are formed by the forces of water, ice,
and gravity — not by wind, as is mistakenly perceived. The color
variations represent the four different types of rock found in this, the Carlon
Formation.
Along the cliff top are strollers on the Rim Trail, which runs the entire length of this amphitheater.
Presently I hear musical sounds. Around the next bend are two gentlemen
playing guitars — or something resembling guitars. They shall
remain nameless because they didn't bother to send me an email as requested.
Hoodoo hoedown
Yours Truly is not making any music here today — just huffing
and puffing sounds
The trail never loses its interest; there is something new around every corner.
It sure looks like an angel from here
Although I can see my destination above, it still is more than a mile away by foot.
Bryce Point is not as close as it appears
Escalante Mountains in the distance
Another nifty tunnel conceals another series of downward switchbacks. Wait a minute. I need to start going up sometime!
More elevation loss
A lone hiker at the tunnel entrance
Finally I arrive at the feature I have been awaiting — a wall
of arches. Doubtless some of them could be spotted from the canyon rim;
but even if one were to know where to look, the openings would be camouflaged.
The Wall of Windows
This park was named after Ebenezer Bryce, a Mormon pioneer from Scotland. Among other noteworthy accomplishments, he built what is now the oldest Mormon chapel still in continuous use. When asked about the spectacular scenery near his farm, Bryce reportedly said only that the canyon was "a hell of a place to lose a cow". Early settlers downplayed the scenic value of this area, having been more concerned about survival in a harsh environment.
Joined at the hip
The only flower I would see is a Brownplume Wirelettuce
Nearing the finish line now, I can hear tourists squealing above me.
In contrast, the late-afternoon lighting is exquisite; I could not be
more pleased about that. A couple more formations should see me to Sunset
Point and the end of the walk
At the top, I must take a final panorama shot of this incomparable place. Behind me are several huge tour buses that have spit out a couple hundred visitors, all clamoring for a spot on the observation platform. I grab the first available shuttle back to my car.
This view alone was worth a trip across the Great Basin ⇔
§: I cannot imagine what more to share that is not expressed in the photographs. There is nothing else in the world like Bryce Canyon. Any hike down into the hoodoos provides a unique perspective that is missed by the great majority of park visitors.
Some climbing could be avoided by doing this hike in the reverse direction. That might be important to you; it wasn't to me.
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| Solitude |  |
