May 23 -- part 2, walking in Bryce Canyon

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Here is a link to the interactive expedition map.



Walking along the "canyon" floor in Bryce Canyon National Park.

Starting to climb back up to the rim.

When there's water to come down, some of it comes down here.

Here are two pictures, overlaid, to show a formation from top to bottom.  It would be helpful to have a person for scale.  I think the sticking out part of the bottom of this is sort of 5-6' tall?

Top of the same formation as above.  You couldn't stand far enough away from this to get the whole thing in one shot.  Or, at least, I, with my camera, could not.

Walking between formations.  I wish I had taken a pic straight up from here.....

Closer crop of the above.

We'll be walking through here in a moment.

Up, and up, and up.

None of this was terribly steep, and there was no "climbing over" anything.  Not rocks, not fallen trees.  But I kept getting out of breath.

I walk.  I walk every day, and my neighborhood has hills, including one steep one, which I power right up, essentially every day.  I kept thinking "What's wrong with me; I can't breathe!"

Then I remembered the helpful ranger we talked to on May 21, who said "Remember the elevation!  Drink, drink, drink, and keep stopping to catch your breath."

That's what I did.  I paused and caught my breath every time there was shade.  And had a drink......

We stood under this tree on the left, enjoying its shade, and had a drink.....

Amazing landscape!  (Trail at right, crossing over to the left about a third of the way up from the bottom.)

The next image shows Sunrise Point, where we will finish this hike.  The area in the top right, with trees, is all fenced and the left end of it is Sunrise Point.  We still have some significant height to attain.

Closer crop of the above.  We'll be walking those zigs and zags, when we get to them.

Sunrise Point is in the next one, too, but my focus was on the precariously-balanced rocks....

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