Top Ten Causes of Death at Bryce Canyon

This is straight from The Hoodoo - The guide that the National Park Service puts out for Bryce Canyon National Park.

10. Unsafe Driving - Auto vs. Animal. Watch for Wildlife!

9. Climbing/Sliding Down Cliffs - I don't know about you but a picture says a thousand words...does that LOOK safe to you?

8. Feeding Animals - As cute as this little guy looks, he'd steal your sandwich in a heartbeat. Don't let the furry tail and big brown eyes fool you.

7. Ignoring Extreme Weather - According to the literature, it's possible for the difference between the high and low to be up to 50 degrees. And I thought Oklahoma weather was fickle.

6. Dehydration - It's amazing you can be out hiking and never really sweat...it's that dry. So, stick to the rulebook whether you think you need it or not...1 liter every 1-2 hours. Just for the record, water is heavy.

5. Leaving the Trail - Even though this was some of the easier terrain we hiked, it was more slippery than at Zion. The article says to "stay away from cliff edges". Well, duh!

4. Over-exertion - It says to turn back before you become tired. Well, I'm telling you, if you're headed up this path and you get tired, you better just sit down 'cause you don't want to turn back at this point. The park ranger even said this was the easy way out.

3., 2., & Number 1 Cause of Death at Bryce Canyon...Bad Choice of Footwear - You may not be the coolest kiddie on the mountain but believe me, it's safer to wear those hiking shoes. I was just about to stop reading the article and then something caught my eye. It says, "Hiking without hiking boots is like SCUBA diving with out an air tank." That's exactly the same thing my brother Tom says about sleeping without a Cpap machine when you have sleep apnea. Wow...I wonder who borrowed that line from whom???

As you can see, we had a great time at Bryce. We went on the 3 mile hike on the Queen's Garden and Navajo Loop trail. Along the way, I talked to a father of four who said he had been there 10 years ago when his first daughter was one. He said he pushed her around the canyon in an off-road type stroller. There is no way! If you have small children wait until they can walk under their own power for at least 10 miles before you take them, unless you like being a pack mule.

I know I said I'd do a post about Pine Creek but I've decided to wait for the video and just post it. Ben thinks one of his friends can splice all the clips together and since we have video of almost the entire canyon that probably is the way to go.

Right now, I'm in Ventura, California. The last two days I've spent with Amy and her three children, Abygail (6), Benjamin (4), and Elijah (3). We've had a blast doing Origami, playing Candy Land, splashing around at a water park, and hiking up to a waterfall.