In 1974 I made my first foray into the national parks of the American West. It was a life-altering, never-to-be-forgotten experience. It began with the "magic" of Bryce's brightly colored, limestone spires, more commonly known as hoodoos, and continued on to the grandeur of Zion. We hiked every day for a week before continuing on to an 18-day journey down the Colorado River in wooden dories, the likes of which John Wesley Powell used to first explore the Colorado.
I remember that river trip as a montage of moments laced with uneasiness and an unfolding awareness and appreciation of simple things, of personal and physical "can do" discoveries, and of natural beauty that boggled my mind and touched my soul.
The Grand Canyon wilderness of stone was something I approached cautiously. This testimony to the power of snowflakes, raindrops and air, forces that made the canyon grand in some 2-10 million years, is testimony also to the enormousness of geological time. Silently, I felt the awe and wonder of it.
The white water was at once compelling and threatening, but the edge of fear was part of the adventure. Some of the fastest water in the country is on the Colorado River.
In addition to the river time, we did a lot of hiking into side canyons, each one of them so different from the other. In my wildest fantasies, I could never dream up the entire complex.
Twenty-five years later it was my great good fortune to get to return to Bryce and to Zion! It happened quite by surprise. Having accepted an invitation to Park City, Utah, I knew what I wanted for an "add on."
My friend, Randye, and I rented a car in Salt Lake City and a new chapter of our Utah adventure began. We drove scenic routes to Zion and then to Bryce hiking every day.
On my birthday, we were at Sunrise Point at Bryce awaiting the appearance of the sun, confident it would appear and still excited by the simple drama repeated every day. The deep orange and crimson hues of the park's hoodoos were made even more spectacular by the light of the sun. A breakfast picnic at the rim followed and then we went on a ranger-guided walk on the Navajo Loop trail. (Combined with the Queen's Garden trail, it is said one can experience the "world's best 3-mile hike!")
The day before, we had taken the Rim Walk (Bryce is an amphitheatre. Every walk ends with an uphill climb!) and attended a ranger geology talk during which we learned about the unique geologic history of Bryce. At night, we attended another ranger talk on trees. (We were eager to ingest everything we could!) Just as I remembered it, Bryce maintained its ability to capture my imagination and my heart.
Zion's magic is of another kind. We rode the Zion Canyon Shuttle, walked the Riverside Walk which follows the path of the Virgin River into a high-walled canyon and hiked the middle and lower Emerald Pool Tail.
Huge sandstone forms, domes, fins and blocky massifs with names that make one stand tall, names like the Sentinel, the Three Patriarchs, Angels Landing and the Great White Throne speak to the spectacle that is Zion.
I concur with Ken Burns, these parks, and more like them, are "America's Best Idea." That we own together the most magnificent of our nation's treasure IS a radical idea. "To experience this profound connection with nature emboldens us to dream of possibilities for life," says Burns. For me? It is a favored elixir of life!
It is a testimony to nature that these geological gifts were created. And it is a gift to our friendship that we were able to explore them together...a uniquely wonderful time..
Posted by: Randye | October 06, 2009 at 05:39 AM
What a treat to visit these favorite places vicariously, through your eyes and with your unique sensibility!
Also loved the Hummingbird nest. We had Hummingbirds all summer, but I could never spot the nest. I wasn't looking "small enough."
Posted by: Erma Yost | October 13, 2009 at 03:36 PM
Randye, as you know, I re-visited our time in the parks still again at holiday time. The experience, as well as our friendship, continues to offer up new insights and discoveries. Returning is a joy! Bethene
Erma, I know these places resonate for you, too, and that you return to the West, in particular, again and again. You KNOW, viscerally, the national parks are "America's Best Idea," as Ken Burns says. Bethene
Posted by: Bethene LeMahieu | January 07, 2010 at 08:28 AM