Are you familiar with Murphy’s Law? It is the idea that anything that can go wrong, usually does. This was pretty much the underlying theme of my backpacking trip to Bryce Canyon National Park.
The trip started relatively without a hitch. My one friend Lauren way over packed, but that was pretty on brand for her, so all things considered we were pretty much operating at status quo.
We began hiking down the steep canyon side to begin the under the rim trail. The trail wound and switched back, zig zagging us to the canyon bed, touring us through scorched earth and burned trees, remnants of that years forest fires. It was beautiful, and we were so excited to be reunited that time flew by, we chatted the hours away. It wasn’t until the night began to fall that we finally decided to stop and check the map.
After cross checking the map we brought with us, with our digital phone map, we realized we for sure should’ve checked the map sooner. Amidst the switchbacks of the descent we somehow missed a turn, landing us on an entirely different trail, the ran the opposite way than we intended to go. Hindsight is 20/20.
We deliberated for a while, and decided that we might as well set up camp for the night, and plan for a longer trek the next day, completing the looped trail we accidentally started, and then adding the additional miles we had planned. No harm no foul.
The next day, we woke up extra early, cooked breakfast, then headed on the trail trying to get back on track despite our setbacks. We were relieved a bit, because this extra loop allowed us to pass the car, and convince Lauren to drop some of the “less necessary” items that she had packed (not including a full set of cotton pajamas which she insisted were a necessity). After we carefully checked the map to ensure we were on the right trail this time, we pressed forward.
This trail is was a bit sportier than the frequently used path we were on early. But, we vaulted and limboed our way over and under trees until 16 miles later we landed at our designated camp site. Much to our horror, our site had signs of recent bears all over it. Fur, and scat lined the ground, and tracks paralleled our trail. We were too hired and hungry to pay much attention though. We ate quickly, joked a bit, got some fresh water, and did some evening yoga stretches before calling it an early night.
At some time between 12:00am and 2:00am we awoke to a blood curdling scream. “Guys! There’s something out there!” Lauren whimpered from her tent.
I turned to Shelby, who was the most experienced of all of us, and decided that if she was scared, I would be scared. Shelby, did not even open her eyes. “Go to sleep Lauren. It was probably just the wind.”
“It wasn’t the wind! Something is out there, I felt it brush against my tent. I think it’s a bear.”
“Take a deep breath Lauren. You are safe in the tent. Just go to sleep.” Shelby reassured.
Taking Shelby’s advice I closed my eyes and quickly fell back asleep. Lauren, on the other hand was not as easily persuaded. The rest of the night, and strange noise or rustling awoke her with a jump. “What was that?” She would scream into the darkness. Her trusted “guard” dog barely even woke up, too tired from the hike to protect her.
The next morning, as the sun rose, I got to work making coffee, hoping a little caffeine would hope us all recover from the night before. Lauren ran frantically searching for proof of the animal that had tormented her all evening. As she started packing her tent away, she found the evidence she was searching for. A ground squirrel had gotten between her tent, and the rain fly, certifiably terrifying Lauren, and relocating a flip flop in the midst of its escape.
Shelby and I exchanged glances at each other trying desperately to contain our laughter at the affair. Poor Lauren is not what we would call “a seasoned backpacker” and the extra miles, plus the lack of sleep nearly broke her.
Luckily, as we left our camp sight, we were presented with an incredibly gorgeous view of the canyon, no pun intended, and each mile of the walk back was more beautiful than the last. We hiked out of the canyon, past sweeping views of the orange rock formations that Bryce is famous for, and back into civilization.
Pro Tip
Check the map more than you think you will need to
Make sure your tent is not set up over any signs of animals, especially ground squirrel holes
Bring lots of extra water, just because it is visible on the map doesn’t mean that it hasn’t dried up
Bring freeze dried ice cream sandwiches, they are good for group morale
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