Hatch, Utah
May 3–5, 2022
May 3–5, 2022
The little town of Hatch is 1.5 hours from Zion National Park and half an hour from Bryce Canyon National Park, so it was an obvious choice. My campsite was right on the Sevier River, and I spent my mornings marveling at the Black-billed Magpies and White-throated Swifts flitting about and the Western Meadowlarks singing. The dogs and I visited Zion first and strolled along the Pa’rus Trail (the only dog-friendly option in the park), among massive cliffs and ridges, through fields of wildflowers, and alongside the questionably named Virgin River. I’m not much for their theology, but I can see why the Mormons took one look at this place and named it Zion. As I walked along the trail, I kept exclaiming to myself, “Great Lion of Zion!” á la Hermes from Futurama. We saw a roadrunner and a cute, pudgy lizard, but there were zero attack deer, despite the warnings.
On our last day in town, we headed for Bryce Canyon, stopping on the way at the Thunder Mountain (or “Mountian,” if the signage is to be believed) trailhead for a quick walk. Even the random roadsides are majestic in southern Utah. Then we were on to Bryce. HOLY HELLCATS, is Bryce Canyon the coolest. With the largest concentration of hoodoos (columns or pinnacles of weathered rock, according to the dictionary) in the world, the park looks otherworldly, and I felt immensely lucky to be walking among them. I did the rim trail from Sunrise Point to Sunset Point with the dogs then stashed them in the van in a shady spot and descended into the canyon on the Queen’s Garden and Navajo trails. As I was about to leave the park much later, I stopped for one last viewing at the Agua Canyon Overlook, where I met a surprisingly friendly raven. We stood together for a good while, checking each other out, cocking our heads at funny angles occasionally, and enjoying the breeze. Eventually, my friend flew off, but it was a treat to stand only three feet away from one of the creatures I had so recently gotten tattooed on my body. They may have just wanted food, but with ravens being as smart as they are, I couldn’t help feeling honored by one’s sustained presence.
On our last day in town, we headed for Bryce Canyon, stopping on the way at the Thunder Mountain (or “Mountian,” if the signage is to be believed) trailhead for a quick walk. Even the random roadsides are majestic in southern Utah. Then we were on to Bryce. HOLY HELLCATS, is Bryce Canyon the coolest. With the largest concentration of hoodoos (columns or pinnacles of weathered rock, according to the dictionary) in the world, the park looks otherworldly, and I felt immensely lucky to be walking among them. I did the rim trail from Sunrise Point to Sunset Point with the dogs then stashed them in the van in a shady spot and descended into the canyon on the Queen’s Garden and Navajo trails. As I was about to leave the park much later, I stopped for one last viewing at the Agua Canyon Overlook, where I met a surprisingly friendly raven. We stood together for a good while, checking each other out, cocking our heads at funny angles occasionally, and enjoying the breeze. Eventually, my friend flew off, but it was a treat to stand only three feet away from one of the creatures I had so recently gotten tattooed on my body. They may have just wanted food, but with ravens being as smart as they are, I couldn’t help feeling honored by one’s sustained presence.
