My first stop did not disappoint, Zion was incredible! Although it was packed with people, I really enjoyed it. Second stop, Bryce Canyon! Much like Zion, the day was extremely hot but I was not going to let that slow me down, I wanted to see as much as I could with the time I had.
Another extreme hot day, another 12 miles added to my worn-out toasted shoes. Hiking the narrows in your only shoes, not a solid idea. My feet are now blistered and tore up, but the adrenalin keeps me going. Adrenalin, caffeine, RX bars, beef jerky, peanuts and water to be exact. Pretty solid hiker diet.
I Found a Friend
I ended up meeting up with a long-lost friend, Zach, whom I met on Facebook years back. Also originally from Wisconsin, who also lived in California while I did but now lives a short way away from Bryce Canyon. Small world. We ended up chatting, hiking, sharing stories, grabbed some grub at a shady little stop outside the canyon. Plus side, he is a photographer and I am a model. Check me out.
Clearly you can see I am ready to enroll in Instagram modeling. All jokes aside, I opted to stay the night in his RV for free shelter, which went okay until we decided to practice jujitsu and I got my a** knocked out. Of course, he felt terrible and I told him I would leave that part out of the story, but it wasn’t a promise, so here I am telling the world.
Another Lesson Learned
It really was a lesson learned, I did not know how fast you can pass out by lack of blood flow to the brain. This makes me want to learn better self defense incase I ever do actually need it. Life is full of surprises, it’s not a bad thing to be prepared to fight if you can’t flight.
I left Cider City that morning around 4am and headed to Moab to check out Arches National Park. Arches was cool and all, quite smaller than I imagined. The internet makes this place so hyped up causing chaos of people. So, if you do come here, I would advise get in as early as possible to avoid the crowds or very late in the evening.
On the bright side
If you get here before sunrise or around sunset you will not be disappointed.
No one ever told me how hard it was to get photos of yourself while traveling alone. Not being a big selfie enthusiast, I opted to buy a little tripod and set a timer on my phone (Galaxy S20, old school already). I don’t think it turned out too bad. Although, I wish I did more of this now while I was there in the moment but people looking at you just made me feel awkward. Although is, this something I should probably learn to stop caring about if I plan to keep doing trips. Looking back, I wish I had taken more photos with myself in them.
Until Next Time.