Crikey.
In short, it was a terrific day. Mimes not withstanding.
-Jenni
If you have never experienced a slot canyon and you get out here to Utah or Arizona, you NEED to do this. Unless you are claustrophobic, in which case I suggest you just grab a cup of coffee and enjoy someone’s blog post about it. And if you go, don’t head straight for Antelope Canyon. Pricey and crowded. Take the long drive out to Escalante and hit Peek-a-boo and Spooky canyons. While staying in Capitol Reef National Park we enjoyed a night of campfire and s’mores (well, duh) with some of our neighbors. They offered us some great intel on other things to see and do and we immediately pounced on the opportunity to explore some slot canyons. I got the opportunity to go five years ago into Canyon X on a photography day tour and it remains one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in the natural world. I wanted the rest of my family to see it too. We began with Spooky. There is something about being in a slot canyon that makes you instantly hush. And it's a really tight squeeze in many spots (suck it in). AND it's dark. AND you have to climb but without a capable climbing guide to show you the best route. We spent quite a bit of time stalled out, quietly analyzing a wall by feeling around with our hands. We looked like five underfed mimes. (If a mime dies in a slot canyon and no one is there to witness it, does he make a sound?) But the upward climbs were fun, if you enjoy this sort of odd adventure. Imagine playing charades, trying to act out all forty-nine English prepositions. It might have been helpful if, like snakes, we could unhinge some of our joints or something. Channel your inner invertebrate, my friends. It’s your only hope. We proceeded from Spooky Canyon on to Peek-a-boo. This one is not quite as narrow (as in, these mimes could afford a slice of cheesecake), but there is more climbing. In fact, it begins with a twelve foot climb at the entrance. Going up and in was not so bad, but getting back down out of it was crazy. And did I mention it was windy? And slot canyons create a veritable wind tunnel for your hair tangling and camera sand-blasting pleasure? For the first time in this trip we were in closer quarters than our trailer and since I spent much of the time downwind of everyone else it became abundantly clear what happens when you are dry camping and thus on water rations for a week. Crikey. We ended the day tired, sandy, sore and happy. My camera is once again full of grit under it's dials and knobs. The adults have fresh bruises and scrapes from trying to squeeze through spaces God reserved for those who are under age eleven or don't like to eat much. We walked out of the canyon and back up the slick rock under a brilliant setting sun. I spent at least twenty minutes imagining ways to make this blog post sound like it was written by the likes of Ann Voskamp, or at least someone who scored about 780 on the verbal portion of the SAT. It was yet another one of those days when I ask God, "Really? This is my real life and I'm not dreaming?" In short, it was a terrific day. Mimes not withstanding. -Jenni
Dusty
3/25/2013 01:24:31 am
"Of course, NOW my nose starts to itch!"
Craig Walker
3/25/2013 02:10:48 am
Caption for kevins photo - Keep pushing the head is out! Sorry I am a medical professional:)
Tracey Wozniak
3/25/2013 07:13:32 am
@Craig Walker lmho (har.har.) Comments are closed.
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