Hoo Doos & River Crossing

At the beginning of June, I took one of the most amazing trips to Bryce and Zion with a group of friends. Some I knew from before, others I made along the way. We packed 2 cars to the brim with gear, food, and people and crossed the desert to two of the most beautiful camping destinations I've been to in a long time.

First was Bryce, an extraordinary canyon of Hoo Doos. These are chimney-like formations that are created from erosion caused by melting snow and wind. We hiked the rim on the first day and then the Fairyland Loop. This one actually enters into the canyon itself and you walk amongst the Hoos and the Doos as if you were in a Dr. Seuss landscape.

There are wildlife such as chipmunks, blue jays, and deer. I saw a family of 3 run up the side with precision and caution ~ blending into the background. If they didn't move, you wouldn't know they were there.

Before our next camping destination, we stopped off at a place called Mossy Cave. There was a small cave, of course, but the coolest part of the hike was when some of us chose to cross a skinny log over a rushing river. I remember what I was thinking 'stay in yoga, you're just doing yoga.... just stay in it'.



Sevier River by Mossy Cave ~ photo by Diana Ruiz



The second leg of the trip was Zion, a natural masterpiece. The place had such an amazing energy it took me aback. While my friends took off to do Angel's Landing, I mozied at my own pace along the Virgin River and then up to the Emerald Pools. The first part of the trek I sat next to the river and let my soul rest in awe of the mountain peaks and sunlight drifting down between them like a magnificent cathedral.

I couldn't believe that in my own life... that God would care so deeply for my individual life just as he would this place. It was so large, and I am so small. To take the time to carve each rock with rainfall and wind while sustaining all kinds of plant life and animals. I am a creature here on this Earth, and I am loved just as an individual as this planet is as a whole.

Ok... so I cried. Beauty took hold of me and then my sunscreen got into my eyes and it made me cry even more... ah silly emotional stuffs.

And that's what I loved about the trip! It stripped me down a little so I could let the beauty in and cross over a rushing river while maintaining my balance.