Crocs Have No Crampons

Escalante, Utah

 

The first time I visited Bryce Canyon, I walked down the trails to the base of the hoodoos. It was enchanting. I loved it. When I visited there with Dave and with Libby a couple of years ago, I decided not to walk down because I feared getting out of breath and not being able to hike back up. Since then, I've been going to the gym and working out, and I'm in much better physical shape. Just the past month I worked out 30 times with that hike specifically in mind. So, imagine my surprise when i heard from the ranger that the trails were open but only to people wearing ice crampons!

I'm the guy who takes pleasure telling my sailing friends that I hope to never directly experience snow again. Well, I get an F for properly anticipating the weather conditions for this trip. it was -3F up on the rim at Bryce yesterday morning. My crocs do not support ice crampons. Yet by the end of March it will be much warmer and tourist season will be in full swing.

On the other hand, the white snow added to the red rocks and the blue sky made for scenery even more beautiful than in the summer. Bryce was spectacular. We have no cause for complaints. Most important, Jen is enjoying it.

We spent last night in Escalante, Utah. This is a tiny community that caught my fancy before. It is an enchanting place and it looks like a delightful place to live. We stopped in the post office. The postmaster asked where we came from, but he knew the names of all the locals, and the names of their relatives, and no doubt all their family secrets. Such is life in a tiny community.

My ambitions to tour some of the most beautiful rods, such as the Devil's Backbone and the Water Pocket Fold are shelved, because the roads are not plowed and covered by three feet of snow. Jen and I are scheming alternate plans as we go.

 

 

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