We were really looking forward to seeing Bryce Canyon National Park in person after seeing so many beautiful photos of its colorful and bizarre-looking rock formations called “hoodoos.”  I can’t even type that word without immediately hearing Paul Simon’s, “Love Me Like a Rock” in my head (“Who-do, who-do you think you’re fooling?”).  Bruce and I spontaneously broke out with that song when we saw hoodoos during our Canadian Rockies trip, and it happened again in Bryce.  We just can’t help ourselves.

You’ve got to see it to believe it!  It truly is an amazing sight, standing at the top of Bryce’s Amphitheater and looking down into a bowl of hoodoos!  These irregular-shaped rock spires consist of relatively soft rock topped by harder, less easily eroded stone that protects each column from the elements.  These spires range in size from the height of an average human to heights exceeding a 10-story building.

The best vantage points to see the hoodoos are Bryce Point, Inspiration Point, Sunset Point, and Sunrise Point.  We covered them all, and some of us also hiked down the Queen’s Garden Trail from Sunrise Point, descending 320 feet before heading back up to an elevation of 8,300 feet.

Knowing we would be at high elevation during this trip, I came prepared, so I wouldn’t have a repeat of 2019’s huffing-and-puffing at the National Senior Games, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, elevation 5,312 feet.  Competing in the 200 Yard Butterfly and 400 Yard Individual Medley, my two most difficult races, was an exercise in futility.  Never had I clung to the walls in the middle of a “race” like that before; it was usually reserved for the end, after the clock had stopped.  It wasn’t a pretty sight; all of us low-elevation dwellers suffered at that meet, logging in personal worst times.

After the meet concluded, we went to play tourist in Santa Fe, where I attempted a nice, relaxing, recovery workout.  During my first lap, I couldn’t even make the turn.  I literally clung to the wall to catch my breath—and, I was in the best condition of my life!  The 7,198-foot elevation just about killed me.

Fast forward to researching and booking this trip and learning that Bryce Canyon’s elevation is at 8-9,000 feet.  I knew I would be in trouble if I wasn’t prepared, so I had an idea: Train with a KN95 mask!  After training hard in the pool and doing my dryland workout on deck for 2 to 2-1/2 hours each day, I would put on my mask and head up to the indoor track and hoof it at my fastest walking pace for a mile or more, if I met up with a friend for conversation.  (Try walking fast while wearing a KN95 mask AND carrying on a conversation!).  I have been doing that six day per week since the beginning of the year, and it made all the difference.  Hiking in Bryce was a breeze, and I jogged back up the steep trail to the top with my breath intact.  (I’m still walking daily with my KN95’s!)

(For all pictures, click on the image to see full screen view.)

Next Up: Colorful Capitol Reef