Freezing, But Fun!

For Christmas I surprised my sweet hubby with a year pass to the National Parks. We decided that since we had a week off from work (I had two extra weeks! Yippee!!), we'd travel to as many parks as we could in just a short week. We had the dog, so this would prove to be an entertaining, (smelly), yet fun adventure.
Excuse the wicked eyes. Our new puppy Chancho is Not possessed. He may be a handful, but demon he is not.

My navigator, Tour Guide and Best Friend. It was like a week long date. Wonderful and over way too quickly.

Our first stop was to Zion's National Park. We stayed the night there in a sweet little cabin motel my mom stays in each year for her reunions. We were tucked away from the world, on a beautiful day where we couldn't be bothered. It was however, absolutely freezing. We got up in the morning and took a quick little hike to a picnic area. There we froze our little behinds off as my thoughtful hubby brought and made us breakfast. He even surprised me with a cup of hot chocolate (made with his little propane stove). He patiently sat and waited while I warmed up enough to get going again. At least to the car anyway.






















At Zion's we picnicked, hiked and tried to keep warm. We even brought Chancho out for a bit and he loved it. Once Chase walked out onto the rocks in the water and he wanted so badly to go with him. The only problem was the water was so cold. He would get all brave, walk out two steps into the water and then run back out. Can't blame him though, he's just a little fella. At 6 months he's daring, just not that daring.

Next, we were off to Bryce Canyon. That night we had originally planned on camping out. We even traveled to the campsite to scope out a place. Needless to say there wasn't a lot of people vying for a spot. It was so cold at that moment, I didn't even get out of the car. I would sleep in there for all I cared. You may say that I'm a wimp, but what would you say after I froze to death? We went to get something warm to eat and I continued to stress out. Could it be possible that Ruby's Inn would be my last meal? My husband, seeing my despair, relented and drove us to Tropic (never thought I'd be so glad to see it) and found a darling cabin to stay in for the night. What's more miserable? A nagging cold wife or -10 degrees? It's up in the air.


The next day we hiked Bryce Canyon. Sadly, I had lived for years near it, but had never gone there. My loss. It was breathtaking! Cold, but beautiful nonetheless. They have these amazing formations they have affectionately named, "Hoodoos" for their mysterious nature. I fell in love with them from the start. It was like seeing Cedar Breaks up close and personal. Our first hike was a doozy. You could've fooled me by just looking at it. It was about a mile of straight downhill (and then uphill) "switchbacks" through the canyon. The elevation was over 7 thousand feet and I felt it! The hike down was fun, though very slippery. At times we simply sat down and scooted to the bottom. I guess it's safer that way. The way up was a different story. I have to admit, I couldn't really take in the beautiful scenery, as I was trying desperately to breathe. I concentrated on my steps as the once breathtaking switchbacks were literally taking my breath away. Chase was wonderful. He's most definitely the one I want to be stranded with in an emergency. He helped me concentrate on my slow, deliberate steps and before I knew it, it was getting easier and I hardly even noticed when we reached the top again. My goal after that? To get into shape. So sad.

We had great fun there. It was beautiful. The day was fairly warm for what we had been getting before and Chancho enjoyed the snow. He was in his element. I still say it was the best workout he had. One hour of playing in that snow, and he was pooped the rest of the day. In the video you can see him diving into the snow. He finally made his own tracks and used them. It was hilarious to see him jump into the snow and see him disappear. He figured out early on that if he ate the snow it was refreshing, so that slowed him up at times. Still, it was more fun to watch the dog frolic in the snow than to get cold ourselves. Pansies.

The following is a video of Chancho playing in the snow (Poor California Puppy). Click on the Play button to view it.



Next we were off to Green River Utah. I know, nothing is there. My thoughts exactly. Actually it worked out pretty perfectly for us. We were going hunting on Tuesday at Hatt's Ranch (a friend of Chase's from his mission) in Green River. Plus, Green River just happened to be right smack in the middle of not only Arches Nat'l Park, but Canyonlands Nat'l Park and Moab Utah.


We drove up to Canyonlands and this time I couldn't complain. The weather was beautiful (for the moment anyway). There we hiked a bit, watched the sun set behind the majestic mountains and made camp for the night. Chase was the prefect teacher. Sure, I've camped before (when I was like 10), but never in this weather. First things first, he brought out the propane stove (love that little thing!). With it, he made more hot chocolate, and for him some herbal tea. We warmed up right away, watched a little iPod movie and played cards. We tried desperately not to admit that the weather was getting colder by the second.

That night was the coldest I think I've ever been (and that's including 18 months in Canada!) I felt bad because I was so cold all night that every time I turned over or moved I must have whimpered from pain, because Chase woke up every time and he'd ask, "Are you o.k. Honey?" To that, I'd grit my teeth and say, "Ya. I'm great." In my head I just kept thinking, "Once. You've really only got to do this once. You can do it." Eight long hours later it was over. Yea! Overall, it was a great experience and taught me to stick to it; even if it's hard. I couldn't have done that without my knight in shinning armor. Oh, and the dog? He's a trooper! He loved every second of it up there! Beautiful country. We'll be back soon. Next time, however, I'll make sure it's in the summer!
P.S. Don't forget to visit the post on Chase's hunting experience with Chancho at Hatt's Ranch. (Titled: Birds of a Feather)

Until next time...
Love,
Me.