Some people go on nice vacations with their nice, clean children who swim in nice, clean pools, wear nice, clean shoes, don’t bring arrows with them to nice restaurants, and whose lifelong dreams do not include running across a salt flat. We, on the other hand, do not. It’s a rowdy bunch we haul along with us, but we wouldn’t want it any other way.
Today is Bryce Canyon day! We had two planned hikes, one to the Mossy Cave and waterfall, and one to the Queen’s Garden and Wall Street Trail loop.
We like trails next to water. My children are mythical creatures, half mermaid, half lizard, and they crave the feel of the sun on naked skin followed by a plunge into frosty water – all with reckless abandon. They meet the Almighty in raw encounters with His creation.
This place is an Eden to them.
The Mossy Cave, in Judah’s words, was “Just an overhang with water dripping from it.” True. A bit unremarkable for hikers. However, a welcome landmark for weary settlers searching for just a moment of relief from the punishing sun. Death would have to patiently diminish into the scorching wilderness when travelers came upon this outcropping. It deserves a destination marker.
More exciting was the stream and waterfall. The kids stripped off what they could strip off and plunged into the cool water. Braver kids (and Popi) lay under the waterfall. Atticus found some friends to build a rock dam with him. Judah picked up a stick that had come over the waterfall and threw it back up so he could watch it come back down. That is when the fun began. That is when we met Wilderness Karen.
“Seriously?” I heard her scream this, but as a mom skilled at selective attention, I hardly noticed. She screamed a bit more, I noticed more, and figured she was maybe mentally ill and there with her day treatment group. No big deal. We were eventually aware, though, that she was actually Wilderness Karen and had parked herself at that exact location not to enjoy the waterfall and swimming, but to scream at strangers’ children. Some parents took their children away. Soon, only our children were left. After all, what harm is a screaming Wilderness Karen? Our kids were playing, building, looking, feeling, loving. She was using violent words, and they ignored her. They know better than to give ear to irrational people. Judah and Sunshine found some clay and built a tiny city on the side of a rock.
Then Wilderness Karen got up and began to disassemble Atticus’s work. Right in front of him. As he held a rock ready to place it.
You have never seen a father go into protect mode more quickly.
Really, she could have approached Atticus in almost any way other than with violent words, and I would have been pleased with her. She could have gotten on his level and taught him that building a dam could cause a water flow issue. She could have asked him if it would be all right if she took the dam down when he had gone. She could have asked him if he wanted help building the dam if he would then help her take it apart after. She could have given him a lesson in ecosystems, in how to play in streams without altering the water…almost ANYTHING other than teaching a stranger’s child that screaming at strangers is best as long as your current feelings are offended. Lady, you are messing with the children of philosophers, and they have been trained to ignore or counter irrational people, with kindness. Their training has resulted in more mature people at ages 8-14 than you are as a 30-something.
Proof in point: I tell my children that a person who is yelling is in distress and needs kindness. One never knows what is causing their violent words. Indeed, we all succumb to violent words, and we experience a kind word that turns away wrath vs a sharp word that stirs up anger. Kiki, without my noticing, had, in fact, gone to sit quietly with her at one point, and had a soft discussion with her for a moment. Kiki disagreed with Wildernesses Karen’s beliefs, but she knew this woman’s soul needed a calm word.
These are the moments you see that raising children in the way they should go means they will not stray far from them.
The kids keep talking about how their Popi stood up to the Wilderness Karen, and with hardly an altercation, so we got our money’s worth in the parenting department today.
Our next hike was at Bryce Canyon proper. We bought a National Parks pass upon entry. I feel way too much pride over that. Ha!
There are times when human beauty descriptors do not suffice. This is one of them. How can such a place exist on earth?
People come here and are overwhelmed. The canyons cover and engulf them. Red dust, more magical then pixie dust, covers skin and clothes, intoxicating.
The loop we had taken was almost complete when we encountered a nearly-wall of switch-backs to reach the rim. Never shy away from a challenge. Conquering a wall gives a victory of confidence. Kiki struggled with asthma, but her eyes showed determination. Modern medicine opened her lungs, and we were off, tackling that wall like wild chipmunks. Maybe not quite that quickly. More like people who were out if water and motivated by the fountain at the top.
Our return to camp brought a few hours of rest, dinner, and Bible reading, which doubled as “keeping our bodies somewhat in shape for dance” time. There was a lot of stretching and exercise banding going on.
While picking up supplies at the general store, we saw that the rodeo was being held that night. Well, don’t mind if we do! We made a goal of packing up camp with a prize of the rodeo if we succeeded in time. Boom. Fastest packing job ever!
Best. Tourist. Trap. Ever.
Well, we are tired and ready for a driving day tomorrow. Lord willing, we will be on the road before 7:00 am.
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