Thanksgiving Part II: Hiking Bryce Canyon

Thanksgiving morning dawned bright and clear with only a slight bite in the air. We had a few hours to kill before the big feast, so everyone decided to enjoy some fresh air while hiking in Bryce Canyon. It also was a good way to burn off some of those calories we were going to consume later in the afternoon. Because it was a holiday, all the gates were open and we didn't have to pay the traditional entrance fee into the National Park. We bundled up the kids into their jackets and headed over to the Rim Trail entrance.

While driving through the park, we came across this little gem. I have seen many "animal crossing" signs throughout my life, but I have never encountered a prairie dog crossing sign. I found this particularly amusing seeing how my husband and brothers thoroughly enjoy shooting prairie dogs. If Nate would have had his shotgun with him, I can guarantee the park rangers wouldn't have to worry about posting those signs because there would be no prairie dogs left to worry about.

Before we began our hike, we decided to take a group picture. We had the bad fortune of asking a professional photographer who literally spent 5 minutes fiddling with the three different cameras, changing all the settings, before snapping some pictures. Usually there is wisdom in finding the stranger who has the most expensive-looking camera to take a picture. All we were hoping for was a picture that was in focus and would also include everyone's appendages. What we got was an overachieving photographer who took forever to take a picture which, in my humble opinion, looks overexposed. 

On the other hand, it was fortunate that we had to the foresight to do this at the beginning while everyone was still smiling. By the end of our journey, the smiles were not quite so big, parents were struggling to carry sleeping children up the steep incline, and the group was, quite literally, a hot mess. 

While Hudson got strapped into his Snuggy, Brynlee got a geology lesson from Papa. He made sure to point out all the interesting rock formations and local vegetation. All things that a three year old would find interesting for sure. By the end, I'm sure Bryn was wishing she was Hudson, just chilling on the fence with Dad, hydrating before the big hike.

And here we have our fearless guides. Liam and Bryn made sure they were familiar with the signs paying special attention to elevation and hike lengths. After all, a guide is responsible for the safety of all members in the hiking group. But to be perfectly honest, I think Brynlee was giving Liam a lesson in his ABCs because I heard her say in her best "bossy teacher" voice, "Liam, this is an E. I will show you how to trace it."

And now, for your viewing pleasure, a little glimpse of the beautiful surroundings we spent the day hiking through.

In the beginning, everyone was on their best behaviors and stopping willingly for pictures. Even Nate agreed to a couple of family pictures. Brynlee and Liam agreed to walk down the switchbacks by themselves. Being the intelligent little creatures that they are, once we got to the bottom of the ravine and looked up, that's when they decided they were "too tired to walk anymore." Erin tried that line with Mark and nearly got pushed off the ledge.

Try as he may, Nate's cheeks still aren't as big as Hudson's.

After watching all of us hike down the canyon, poor Hudson found the entire episode exhausting and promptly fell asleep. He spent the next 40 minutes comatose while poor Nate got to carry nearly 20 pounds in dead weight. Liam lasted a little longer than Hudson, but only by 15 minutes. We stopped for a little break, and Liam couldn't stop yawning. Neal held Liam against his chest, and then the two dads hiked out while carrying their sleeping boys.

Once the boys were gone, Bryn had the grandparents all to herself. She convinced Grandma to kneel under the arch and then photo bombed a couple of Grandma and Papa's individual pictures. She couldn't understand why anyone would want to take a picture without her in it. 

After that, Scott was kind enough to teach her all the cool photo poses that he practices every night in front of the mirror. The first thing he showed her was a little smirk which exudes confidence and superiority in a nonchalant way. The other pose they perfected together was my personal favorite: the finger point. The kids can always count on Uncle Scotty for some good laughs.

We finally made it back to the top: sweaty, covered in dirt, but happy. Needless to say, we definitely worked up an appetite and in just a few short hours, the great feast would begin. On the way out of the park, Bryn and I stopped for our traditional National Park sign picture. And if you look real closely, you can see that Bryn, ever the obedient student, is putting her new photo poses to good use. Thanks again,  Scott. : )