BRYCE CANYON | Spring
Laurel Dailey
It wasn’t the first canyon I’d fought to see by the first light of day, and it wasn’t the first time clouds had thwarted my efforts (I [don’t] see you, Waimea Canyon).
And, to be fair, it was early spring in southern Utah. In planning the trip, we knew that weather could be a variable. But still, I was unfamiliar with the terrain—more specifically, the elevation changes in our itinerary. So it was with great surprise when we set our sights on Bryce Canyon, only to be met with a blanket of freshly fallen snow.
In Kanab, we woke before dawn to a crack of thunder. The storm was relentless, bringing with it driving rain, hail, and snow. We crept along the highway, our tires finding a single track of pavement in the snow, white knuckles the entire way. Bryce was soupy with fog at first light, and the snow plows had barely begun clearing a path. So we waited. And then, just after 8:30 and well after sunrise, the fog lifted and we finally saw Bryce Canyon with clear eyes.
HONESTY TIME: Sometimes [ed. note: often] I have trouble adjusting my expectations. Reality zigs where my plan zags and I struggle to merge my expectations with the newly unfolding reality. It’s a thing. I’m aware of it, I’m doing my best [ed. note: HA!], but there are times when I am slow to recalibrate.
Like this snowy morning in Bryce Canyon, for example. It’s beautiful, right? [right.] But I spent all morning struggling to adjust to the curve balls the weather kept tossing our way. From driving rain that delayed our start time to roads impassable with snow to a canyon soupy with fog, I just could. Not. Recalculate.
Which is why I’m so glad Mikey was with me. He was beyond thrilled by the snow, the views, the adventure of it all. When I stopped spiraling long enough to see Bryce through his eyes, I saw what was clearly there the entire time.
