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Grand Canyon 2005
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Extra Stuff, Part II
Bryce and Zion
We were up early the next day so we could get a quick glimpse of Bryce Canyon at sunrise. Unfortunately the weather socked in and we were greeted by SNOW when we got up. Never-the-less, we got out to have a look, only to find that the trail was closed because of a recent rock fall. Caroline and Shannon turned back, but Andrew, Brian and myself continued on.
courtesy BConnell
courtesy BConnell
Snowy Bryce Canyon
Ghostly Amphitheatre
Lone Pine
Jenn and Brian at Bryce Canyon
We didn't go very far down the trail (which had very little rock on it, though quite a bit of snow - what a change from our time in the Grand Canyon!). The rim of Bryce canyon is at 8000ft, so it is always snowy in the winter and spring. It had a real mystical feel to it....so quiet.

We weren't gone for long. We decided that we would go and have brunch at nearby Ruby's Inn , in hopes that maybe the weather would clear and we could get some better views of the canyon. Nope...wasn't going to happen....so off we went to Zion National Park .
courtesy CDoucet
Dead to the World
Ochre and Olive
A lush Zion
courtesy CDoucet
courtesy CDoucet
Hiding the heights
Tenuous hold
Wreathed Throne
Andrew and I were at Zion in September with Luke and Sophie, and I had loved it so much. We did a hike up Angel's Landing then, and this day we were to do it again (none of the others had done it before). The weather was a lot different! We saw flowing water, waterfalls, and the creeks and rivers were running quite quickly, not to mention, the temperature was much cooler!
Angel's Landing
Pretty cushy trail
Streaming Water everywhere
courtesy BConnell
Entrance to Telephone Canyon
Cool and moist Telephone Canyon
Ascending Walter's Wiggles
Shannon was warned about the heights on Angel's Landing, but managed it extremely well, even lying on her stomach and looking all the way over the edge! The waterfall just above all the switchbacks was flowing hard on our way up due to some heavy precip earlier, but by the time we were down, the flow was at half the rate. When we were here in September, there had been no waterfalls anywhere. Angel's Landing still impresses me and it is something I could do time and time again.
courtesy BConnell
Scout Lookout
Angel's Backbone
Climbing to the top
courtesy BConnell
Ascending the ridge
Angel's Landing summit
Edge of the Abyss
courtesy BConnell
The Organ
Descending the trail
Diminishing Flow
After our hike up Angel's Landing, we decided to pack it in and head back to Vegas. Our flight wasn't to leave until 1 am, so we had lots of time to have a nice dinner and do a little shopping.

We got to Vegas at about 5:30 pm , where we headed to a gas station to fill up, and get out of our hiking clothes. There was no bathroom at this gas station (rather surprising!), so we all took turns getting changed in the rather cramped quarters of the back seat. This was a bit like doing our own Houdini act! After we had re-packed our stuff, we headed to dinner at the Venetian Hotel. The hotel was full of weddings! We had a fantastic dinner at a nice Italian restaurant ( Canaleto ), and then we (being Shannon and Caroline) went to help Brian with some of his shopping. Next it was off to the airport, and home to Ottawa.
courtesy BConnell
 The final pack-up
While waiting in line in Las Vegas Airport, a group of women who were curiously looking at our backpacks, big duffel bags, and our slightly disheveled look asked us if we were on the Amazing Race. Andrew responded that we weren't arguing enough to be on the Amazing Race. With the amount of hiking we had done (7 straight days), it kind of felt like we might be on some sort of race. It certainly was an adventure, and one I was so happy to be on. I still miss it, and can't wait for the next adventure to start! Thank you again, Andrew for making it all possible! [you are more than welcome - andrew]
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