I spent weeks preparing for what I believed to be the perfect, picturesque spring break vacation: a camping expedition to Utah’s Five National Parks. I paid the entry fee, bought myself some new clothes, and unwittingly enlisted my parents as my product providers for anything else I might need on this venture. Then the time came, and I was sure I had thought of everything: my traveling outfit, two pairs of used (I believed “hike-worthy”) tennis shoes, several layers of warm clothes, my portable charger, phone, and polaroid camera. What I didn’t think about was the quarter-mile trek to Basecamp, in the rain (of all days!) dragging a 30-pound duffle and a 10-pound backpack. What clothes didn’t get soaked were surely frozen the next morning when I awoke to my supplies frosted over in the 30-degree morning chill of Zion National Park. Yes, it was going to be a long week.
As I’ve gotten older, it’s become my dream to visit every National Park in the United States. Their history, geology, and beauty fascinates me. Perhaps it’s a stretch to hope I can visit every park before I get the benefits of old age, but at least I can check five off my list.
Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches are, as anyone will tell you, amazing. Looking at it in person is much more mesmerizing than any picture. It’s why I wanted to go on this trip in the first place, to experience the splendor of these parks and their amazing views. But I learned very quickly (and forgive the old cliché) that it really is more about the journey than the destination, since the journey is what will inevitably take up most of your time and energy.
We spent three days in Zion, immediately stretching my limits (and the occasional muscle) with two three-mile hikes in one day. Keep in mind, the most I believe I’ve ever walked was perhaps 2 miles, and that was all on flat ground, without a daypack. The weather was being picky as well, never deciding whether it wanted to be cold or hot. Were the views worth it? Absolutely! But I spent that first night and day questioning my sanity.
The real test came during Day 2 – the hike through the Narrows, a shallow river that flows through Zion, surrounded by shear rock walls at least a thousand feet high. The idea of wading through a river when it was 30 degrees outside was not very appealing, especially when I was told the special shoes would still get waterlogged. I was almost certain something would go wrong: I had the wader on wrong, I would fall in, all my clothes would be soaked (again). But when I managed to get through the first stretch where the water reached my chest, without falling, and without being soaked, I finally felt as if I was doing something worthwhile. That entire day was spent fighting currents, slipping over hidden rocks, and scrambling over rough shores; but after a total of six miles, wet feet, and an aching hip, I managed to see myself as more capable than I had originally thought.
The next day brought us to Bryce Canyon, the three-mile hike that took us down to the canyon floor, and the steep trek back up. It was not the Narrows, but the fresh snow, ice, and deeply sticky red mud didn’t make it any easier. Half the time, I was certain I would go sliding down the path and crash into something. All the time going up I was dead certain my lungs would never recover. Yet it’s one thing to look into a canyon like Bryce, and another to be standing alongside or atop one of its massive pillars, which you would never reach had you stayed at the lookout point.
Day 3 brought us to Capitol Reef, a lesser-known park but no less beautiful. This day was, in my opinion, one of the most challenging, yet most enjoyable, hikes of the trip. Three miles in total, we scrambled over loose rocks along the edge of a massive valley, while the boys played cowboy music in the background to set the mood. I got my first taste of navigating slick rock that day, that angled, curved, smooth rock that makes you walk on your ankles just to stay upright. I don’t think I ever appreciated gravity as much as I did before that day, as the entire way down was down-hill, and I felt less tired after resting at the natural bridge. The first leg had been a challenge for me, yet overcoming it was invigorating.
The last three days of the trip were spent in the beautiful town of Moab, the gateway to Canyonlands and Arches. Over our stay, I became more comfortable navigating slick rock and was overall more confident in my hiking abilities. By that time, we fell into a pattern: wake up early, gather the clothes you need, get breakfast, go hiking, take frequent rests, get back to camp, change into warm clothes before the nightfall, and enjoy the warm food.
Nothing is quite as amazing as viewing the scope of Canyonlands from above (despite how cold it was), or seeing the Delicate Arch emerge into view as you round the corner of the cliff.
Each new park brought on a new wonder and realization. I liked the way one of our leads put it in our nightly devotionals by the campfire: the wonder of these places puts things into perspective and helps you see that there are bigger, more important things in life than the things we worry about.
I believe this trip helped me realize how much I could accomplish, along with the importance of having people behind you who encourage you. Would I have ever dared to hike 6 miles in a river on my own, or scramble over rocks on the side of a canyon with increasing elevation? Probably not. Even with members of my own family, I might not have made it as far. But the fact that I was with a group, and people in that group cared enough to help me, worked a magic of its own.
Now let me be the one to encourage you.
If you’ve been holding back on an adventure like this, give it a try. Find a good group of people who will push you but won’t force you into anything you don’t want to do. Look for opportunities to camp, hike, run, or anything you want to do in your little corner of the world. It doesn’t have to be big or glamorous (I can assure you it won’t feel glamorous), but the feeling of victory (not to mention the views) will be worth it.