Hiking the Hoodoos

Since we were essentially rained out in our attempt to hike down into Bryce Canyon on Sunday, we decided to get an earlier start in an effort to beat the afternoon thunderstorms this time.  We headed straight for the Navajo Loop/Queen's Garden trails, eager to get below the rim and see the formations up close and personal.  We left out of Sunset Point and headed down, down, down... but right away everything seemed larger and closer up.  The thousands of spires that yesterday all seemed to look virtually the same now took on their own unique forms - each one looking different.  Abby and I began to name them as we saw especially unique formations:  Three Chalices, Two Torches, Thor's Mallet, and others. 

We began to switchback down to the canyon floor through a narrow space between two canyon walls and you could feel the air getting cooler and rushing past us as we hiked down - and unusual phenomenon since it usually gets warmer as you descend, not cooler...but it felt like someone had turned on the air conditioner - briefly.  As we came out of the narrows, the heat greeted us once again as we crossed the canyon floor.  We saw two natural bridges, some small grottos that appeared quite cave-like, and many natural tunnels or arches along the trail.  Sometimes it seemed as if the trail had been routed out of the way just to pass through these strange and wonderful creations.  We saw hoodoos such as "Queen Victoria" and "Thor's Hammer", officially named hoodoos that just added to our inspiration to continue naming our own.  By the end of the hike, even Isaac was joining in - finding formations that looked like Mount Rushmore and the Park Arrowhead.

It was a fabulous hike - once again, so different than any of the others we've taken on this trip.  Seeing the way the rain and snow have carved these formations brought an appreciation for the diversity of nature and miracle of God's handiwork.

"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" --Psalm 8:2-4

Once again, I felt small.  Having the privilege of seeing the many miracles of creation over the course of this summer has left me awed, and has given me a new perspective on the smallness of my place in the universe.  I find myself pondering why God, almighty and powerful to create these majestic wonderlands, would care for me.  But at the same time, it is evident that He does through the beauty of these magical places.  Only a God who loves us immensely, and who created us in His image, would see fit to provide such visual feasts...

After a picnic lunch, we decided to take an excursion into the nearby Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument and Kodachrome Basin State Park.  These formations, left behind after water carved through the Colorado Plateau, stretch for miles and miles in all directions.  If only we had more time to explore... the beauty is overwhelming.  We must come back - and spend more time here.  But for now, the memories will have to suffice.

 

Tracy