The next day is nicer. The report is still calling for rain but I see no storms the radar. It’s frustrating because I can’t commit myself to a serious hike with the risk of getting caught in the rain below the rim. Flash floods are relatively common in canyons like these. I’m able to get a few miles in along the Rim Trail before it starts to drizzle again, the wind picks up and the temperature drops so I retreat to the car. A few hours later it looks like the heart of the storm is gonna pass north of me and it turns into a beautiful day. The sun is still trying to navigate through a light fog of cloud cover but blue skies make an appearance and the temperature is up to 54 degrees. It makes for very pleasant conditions but it’s already too late for a serious hike. I cruise to a few more view points, all of which are similarly gorgeous. There is immense beauty in the USA, all over. It’s the ugliness of a lot of the people that erode that beauty.
Theres no sports bar or anything around to watch the Hawks game so I sneak into Ruby’s Lodge and find a little lounge area where I can steal wifi and watch the game on my iPod. They lose but I’ve been drinking whiskey and coke out of my water bottle for the entire game. By the time it’s over I’m ballsy enough to sneak into the indoor pool area. I’m so dirty from living out the back of the Jeep, when I cannonball into the pool I imagine a cloud of filth blooming around me like Pig Pen. The dip is a welcome reward, the hot tub is an added bonus, even though there are a few other people in there. We all laugh together when we learn that not a single one of us is actually staying at this lodge, we’ve all just snuck in. The right type of people can also add to that beauty...they're a double edged sword, people are. I car camp in the parking lot, close enough to still steal wifi from the lodge, and a fall asleep watching Colbert, What a treat! Today was a good day….
Finally! Sunny blue skies! Weather is huge in a life on the road, when one is outside most of the time. After days of rain this is a welcome sight and I take full advantage and hike nearly 8 miles. I do the Queens Garden Trail, Navajo loop, and the Tower Bridge Trail.
I finally get to drop below the rim, down amongst to hoodoos and again I’m forced to use that phrase…..like nothing I've seen before. I say it a lot but I believe it to be true every time…..that’s a good thing I think. The hoodoos are formed the same way as the arches but they don’t seem similar. Massive, layered spires reaching skyward. “Odd” and “impressive” are the words I jot in my note book. I believe their proper description is beyond the scope of my abilities, and recommend seeing them for yourself.
It appears that here in Bryce Canyon is where the forest meets the desert. I hike passed several dark green conifers standing tall in the canyon, but the hoodoos appear successful in their attempts to maintain control. The view from the rim shows dense green forest carpeting the river valley further below slowly choking life INTO the desert.
I take a trail called Wallstreet on my way back up. It leads me through a narrow slot canyon with shear rock walls straight up on either side. A few evergreens grow out of the canyon floor and stretch toward the sliver of blue sky that's visible between the canyon walls. It’s much cooler in here but it’s a relatively low-impact, and therefore popular trail, which makes it too crowded for my own personal tastes, so I don't linger.
The Tower Bridge Trail drops into the forest among the evergreens and the pinkish white hills of crumbling rock. On the way down nearly every person I pass warns me of a rattle snake near the bottom of the trial. The first few warnings make me a little nervous, by the 9th or 10th, I’m annoyed and couldn’t care less. These types of warnings are abundant in this part of the country. Every ranger station or visitors center I’ve been to, somewhere inside there's always some kind of warning about rattle snakes. (I attribute this to the low levels of common sense, and the high levels of stupidity rampant in the American public) I have still yet to see one, so when the trail levels out near the bottom I take some time to hunt for the little bastard and eventually I do catch a glimpse of him. It’s exciting only because I’ve never seen one before, other than that all the warnings were a whole lot of hubbub for nothing. People make it seem like the snakes, or any potentially dangerous creature, are out to get you, when the reality is, generally speaking, wild animals don't really give a shit about us. This rattler is no exception and continues on with his snake business and I hike by and out of his life forever.
At the bottom I reach the rock formation known as Tower Bridge. Aptly named because it has rock towers reaching skyward, a natural rock bridge, and even a window like arch at the opposite end. I’ve seen all these before, but never in the same rock formation, it’s an impressive sight. Again, go see for yourself.
I sit on a log to read down here for a bit in an attempt to avoid making my hike out with random strangers. I like being alone on hikes, so my mind is free to wander instead of struggling through small talk with some random person I care nothing about. I really should be more open to meeting people while I'm on the road, and there are times when I’m craving human interaction, or just someone to talk to. Other times, I find myself going to great lengths to avoid people entirely. Truth be told, most people are completely useless to me. Narcissistic, self serving, greed heads who are under the impression that their needs and desires are more important than anyone else’s. I’m not into it. Small talk, the problems with your significant other, your long term goals, whatever dilemma they're going through…..I’m not interested. That’s why I never really share anything about my self with anyone, I don’t care about your shit, why would you care about my shit? Personally, I think reading on a log in the woods at the end of a long hike can lubricate your problem solving muscles much better than the word vomit I get from most people, but what do I know?
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