Canyon Country

2/18-2/26

Grace and I had a week off which we'd planned to spend ice climbing in Cody. Then I screwed up my back just a few weeks beforehand, and climbing was no longer an option. Hannah cured me via email, but I still wasn't in shape for the abuse. It's hard to imagine a worse nightmare than having your back seize up while leading a steep pillar.

So we decided on the inverse of mountains: canyon country. Arches, Brice, Grand Canyon, and Canyonlands national parks. I hadn't been to any of them, and Grace hadn't been to the Grand Canyon since she was in high school. We enjoyed hiking in Arches and Brice in the snow and bitter cold, then hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and lounged in 72 degree weather by the Colorado river. Finally we met up with David, Klara, and Marco for a two night stay in the Needles district of Canyonlands. Everything went very smoothly, and we had a great time. Perhaps the only really disconcerting moment was discovering afterward that the spring we'd been drinking from in the Grand Canyon had arsenic levels "above municipal safety limits"!

Photo Galleries:
Arches NP

Brice Canyon NP
Grand Canyon NP
Canyonlands NP