Bryce vs. Hannah
Ouch.
A surprise five-and-a-half mile hike up and down the cliffs of Bryce Canyon National Park put me to shame this week.
Ok, it wasn’t exactly a surprise, per se. I was expecting to be hiking for a good chunk of this past week, but I just didn’t expect to be going down into a canyon, and up to the rim… and down… and up… and down…
What? You’re sharing my post??? I knew I liked you! Thanks!
…and up.
Over five miles.
On the first day.
5 Miles, a blister, and a thick layer of shame later…
Add a few more miles the next couple days, and seven miles on the last day.
It did get progressively better, but there was definitely a 70-year-old dude that was in WAY better shape than me. While I was struggling to breathe and just praying for the next ascent to be the last he would speed on by with a smile, not even breaking a sweat. I’m about convinced he was a robot.
In total I hiked around 25 miles this week, which wouldn’t have been nearly as intense except for the fact that canyons tend to have quite an incline.
Buns of steel, yo. It was like an unintentional “get your body bikini-ready in 4 days!” thing. And I definitely felt the burn.
But getting my “summer butt” wasn’t actually the point. The point was to hike around and practice landscape photography – something I’m not very good at yet. Check out what’s in my photography bag!
Don’t talk to me, I’m famous!
No, not me – them.
Zion, Bryce, The Grand Canyon – they all have something in common: They’re famous.
I didn’t realize how famous until arriving in the Bryce Canyon area and finding that every other person I came across was from outside the U.S. Lots of Chinese and Japanese tourists traveled in packs, pilling off buses in waves, and there were smaller groups of [what sounded like] French, Swedish, and German tourists.
Can’t blame ’em. Bryce Canyon and the nearby Zion National Park have some of the most unique landscapes in the world. Hence, The Landscape Photography Quest.
If you’re not familiar with Bryce Canyon, one of its key features is enormous red rock formations that “glow” in the right light. I tried to capture it on camera, although it still doesn’t really do it justice.
I hope you guys enjoy the photos.
Let me know if you’ve ever been to Zion or Bryce (I haven’t hiked Zion yet but hope to soon!)
