Good day Sunshine

Okay not really but that’s how the song goes so that’s what we’re going with. To be honest, my feet did suffer this day. Totally my fault for soaking my boots in a waterfall the prior day but whatever. Regardless, holy freaking cow the sunshine of this day and the views were mind-blowingly gorgeous.

One of the most exciting and slightly terrifying agenda items of this trip was snowshoeing. I’ve never done it before and everyone talks about how much of a workout it is. I figured I should be okay because I strength train and hike but I don’t really do cardio so I was still skeptical. Spoilers: I “need” more cardio in my life.

The weather gods smiled copious amounts of sunshine upon us but did not grant us warmth. I think it was 22F (-6C) with high winds so the temperature felt more like it was somewhere in the teens. Ergo, freaking cold! I hate being cold but I also overheat at the drop of hat so I was a bit flummoxed about how to dress. I’m pretty sure I put on every layer I brought with me for this trip. I know I wore a shirt, 3 jackets, and 2 pairs of pants. I also had multiple hats and a buff so I figured I was ready!

We all get handed snowshoes and poles at the… I would normally say trailhead but this isn’t a hike nor was there a trail so I’ve no idea what to call our launch location but this is where we parked and started our adventure. My gloved fingers did okay at buckling the snowshoes and I didn’t think anything of not having 1 of the 3 buckles on my shoe but our guide, Nick, was adamant that they should all be there. My gloved fingers were NOT up to replacing the buckle so he kindly helped me out.

Yes, I realize I could have taken the gloves off and I did in order to strap down the buckles tightly but my fingers quickly went numb and I didn’t care enough about the extra buckle to try that again. Yes, as a matter of fact, I am a wuss when it comes to cold. This should surprise none of you.

We snoeshoed from the main road in Bryce National Park to the rim of the canyon. From there, we followed the Fairyland Loop to Sunrise Point.

The people in the front of our conga line certainly worked harder than Chris and I. We, lazy bums that we are, consistently brought up the rear. The folks in the front by and large were breaking new ground which means you have to raise your leg higher than normal with each step and there’s more resistance when you set your foot down. There were a few times that he or I accidentally got into the middle of the line but we always quickly realized our mistake and worked our way back to the end of the line. We’re caboose people not engine people. Perhaps that’s why I have so much junk in the trunk…

Wherever we were inline, the views were stunning.

Time for a slightly TMI moment. If you aren’t human or want to pretend that you aren’t, you should stop reading now. I’ll throw in a few more random photos to give you time to consider if you want to keep reading.

You’re okay with some TMI? You’re sure?

TMI: everyone in this group was braver than I was. Every single person, male or female peed along the trail on this freaking nightmarishly cold day on the snow covered ground. I kinda get it for the guys, it’s not like they have to get too exposed to do their business but every woman (except me) dropped their pants, exposed their bum & nether regions to the fridged air, squated, and peed. One of them misjudged the distance to the ground and accidentaly kissed the snow with her bare cheeks.

The craziest thing to me is that most of these women didn’t just pee once. No. These brave souls peed outside multiple times this day! I am seriously in awe of them.

I’m an unhealthy individual who stopped drinking water so I wouldn’t have to pee outside. This is not remotely healthy as it leads to dehydration. Yes, I know I have a problem. No, I don’t believe in a higher power that will help me fix it but I’ll eventually get around to fixing it myself. Just not when it’s so freaking cold out.