Day 8 & 9: Utah Canyons - Top to Bottom

I went on two of the best hikes ever over the past couple of days.  Tuesday, I woke up at dawn (an accomplishment in itself for me) to watch the sun rise over Bryce Canyon at the aptly named Sunrise Point.  From there, I embarked on a 9 mile hike that led me around the rim of the canyon, through an area called "Fairlyland" and eventually down to the bottom for some up close encounters with the alien rock formations (called "hoodoos", dont ask me why). Check out some of the pictures in my Bryce Canyon album posted on the right sidebar.  I took this picture myself, by setting my camera on a rock, hitting the timer and then scampering to the edge of the cliff...just in time to pose.  This photo only hints at some of the spactacular views of the canyon I had from the top, before descending down to the floor.  In many places, the trrail ran along the edge of the cliff...and got fairly narrow in some places. 

After completing the Fairlyland loop, I got in the car and drove a short distance to Zion, where the next day, I took a memorable and really unique walk.  I began by hiking along the Virgin river for a mile or so - which is the small river that has carved Zion Canyon out of the sandstone for millenia.  The paved trail eventually comes to an end at the river and then....you get in the river and keep hiking.  Actually, you're wading.  Upstream for about 2-3 miles and then back again.  The further upstream I went, the narrower the canyon became.  At its narrowest points, I was standing at the bottom of a 700 foot tall cliff, in the river, which was only about 15-20 feet wide between the two opposing canyon walls.  It was unlike anything I had ever seen.  The hike itself was not too strenuous - elevation was relatively low (compared to Bryce) and it was generally flat.  There were some rocky parts of the river, which were slower going, but overall, not too bad.  At its deepest point, the water was about thigh deep, and was not too cold.   I posted some pictures in the Zion Canyon album...check them out!.  Next - off to Vegas - then the home stretch to SF!