I got back from a much needed 11-day road trip earlier this week. After over a year without travel during the pandemic (except for a few short camping trips), this vacation was a release of a lot of my pent up energy. On the road trip, I was able to do a weekend in Vegas, attend a friend’s wedding in LA, and visit all five Utah national parks (+ Death Valley) which I’ve been really wanting to do for a while.
My unofficial ranking of the Utah parks:
- Zion
- Capitol Reef
- Bryce Canyon
- Arches
- Canyonlands
Highlights from each stop of the trip below.
Yant Flat
This was a cool little hike we did near Zion. Beware that the last 30 minutes drive to the trailhead is on pretty rough road. My SUV handled it fine, but left coated in a fine layer of Utah dust. Yant Flat is nicknamed “Candy Cliffs” due to the coloring on the rock structures.
We went in the late afternoon/near sunset and I loved hiking and exploring all over the cliffs (reminded me of Badlands in that sense).
Zion National Park
Zion was a bit of a zoo in terms of crowds, but it is worth it. We had to wait around a hour to get a shuttle out to the trails each day (though you can avoid this by getting there super early in the morning). Zion is home to two of the most unique hikes I’ve ever been on.
The Narrows might be my favorite hike. We got our feet wet and hiked upstream on river rocks through a gorge with walls a thousand feet tall.
Angels Landing was also a great hike with a lot of elevation gain and the use of chain cables along the cliff side. At the top, we were rewarded with a breathtaking view of Zion Canyon.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce is known for its hoodoos (tall, thin spires of rock)! There were gorgeous views of them from above the canyon rim, but you could also hike down alongside them. There were much fewer visitors here than Zion and the summer weather was cooler as well, which made for a more relaxing trek through the weird and interesting landscape. Felt like another world.
Capitol Reef National Park
I hadn’t heard much about Capitol Reef before the trip, but really enjoyed it and think it’s underrated. The park had a fantastic balance of length/difficulty of hikes versus reward. Another great day exploring red rock cliffs, canyons, domes, and bridges. The highlight was standing on top of Cassidy Arch (see if you can spot me).
Canyonlands National Park
With massive canyons carved by rivers, it’s easy to see why they called this place Canyonlands. Mesa Arch was like a beautiful natural picture frame. We split one day between Canyonlands and Arches, and while it was doable to see the main spots, I want to go back in the future to do some of the longer hikes.
Arches National Park
Arches, arches, arches everywhere. If you are into arches, this is the park to visit. There are some truly epic arches and rock formations here.
Death Valley National Park
It is not recommended to visit Death Valley in the summer, which we found out when we were welcomed by 123°F temperatures near sunset on the day we visited. We might as well have been walking on the sun… at the hottest place on Earth and lowest elevation in North America. Nonetheless, I was struck by the beauty and variety of landscapes. I thought it would just be one large desert, but there were cool canyons, rock structures, sand dunes, and even many plants.
And that’s a wrap on an amazing road trip through Utah and back! 6 national parks in 7 days. I had an awesome time traveling and hiking with my friend Steven who I’ve known since the beginning of high school. It’s crazy that we’ve been friends for 18 years (a whole adult!)
We ended up doing about 77 miles of hiking/walking all total, but every mile felt great. On to the next national park :)
Last weekend, I took a two-day solo road trip to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.
I didn’t make any housing or camping reservations, but packed up a sleeping bag and some food and just went. It was actually rather impulsive and barely planned, which is very unlike me.
To be honest, it’s been a pretty shitty year and I just needed to go. Somewhere, anywhere.
Some highlights and thoughts:
Whenever I stopped at a scenic overlook at Kings Canyon, I was blown away. I mean just look at this:
Sequoia trees are absolutely MASSIVE (check out the person in the lower left for scale). This one here’s the largest tree on Earth. Provided some nice perspective on the passing of time, resilience, and having a strong base.
I overestimated my car’s ability to drive in snow… and got quite stuck. After ten minutes of maneuvering and sweaty palms, I was luckily able to wiggle myself out of that one.
I was fortunate to snag one of the last first-come first-serve camping spots in Kings Canyon. Not sure what I would have done if there weren’t any left, but hey, this was a yolo trip and it worked out.
That night, I hiked off on my own a little ways behind my campsite and found a beautiful spot to take in the sunset among the forest.
Woke up to this view, staring up from the back of my car.
Started off the second morning with an awesome hike to Tokopah Falls. Got to get up pretty close to the waterfall and have lunch on some rocks nearby with a view.
Finished off my trip with a hike to Moro Point, where I climbed 350+ steps along the side of the rock to the top and took in one last view.
I kept going back and forth on whether to go on this trip by myself, and in the end I’m really glad I went.
It was my first time at these parks and despite some areas being closed due to snow, I had a really great time just being alone and going on my own adventure. Nature helps brings me peace.
I tested positive for covid a month and a half ago and joined one of the 100+ million people that have tested positive since the pandemic began.
It was a shock and one of those things that you don’t ever expect to happen to you, even though the odds weren’t tiny.
For almost a year, I had been really careful, always wearing a mask outside, working from home, and only leaving the house once every couple weeks for groceries or going on few socially-distanced hikes.
Over a weekend in early January, I went to the grocery store and on a hike. I started to have a mild cough and sore throat on a Saturday afternoon and after about an hour of lingering cough, I got a sinking feeling that I had contracted covid.
So I went and got tested and a few days later I got the email:
Your COVID-19 RT-qPCR test was POSITIVE, meaning that the virus that causes COVID-19 was detected in the specimen you provided.
Fuck. I really got it huh…
After it kind of set in, I texted the few people I was around in the days before symptom onset and suggested they get tested as well. I was relieved when they all ended up testing negative. It also meant that I must have caught covid from a passing stranger.
For the next two weeks, I sealed myself up in my room. I got comfortable in there and tried to keep a calm and positive mindset. I mostly worked like normal, except for taking it a little easier to rest and try to get better.
Like a good public health major, I kept a daily log of my symptoms and health, and was fortunate to only have mild cold-like symptoms the whole time:
I never had a fever, and never lost my taste or smell. On a few days, I felt some general fatigue but I’m not sure really sure if it was from covid or my heightened anxiety. I was very worried that things would take a turn for the worse.
After my isolation period, I got tested again and was glad to test negative.
The next day, after a light rain, I was finally able to go outside for a run and breathing in the crisp air felt amazing.
The whole covid experience was pretty surreal and I feel very fortunate to have had a relatively light bout with the virus. Please keep wearing your masks and staying safe!
I wanted to read more this year and with an aid from the pandemic lockdowns, I did it! I reached my reading goal for the year.
To be honest, 2020 has been a really tough year. It has been filled with stress, anxiety, loss, heartbreak, and change. The pandemic helped intensify some of it, but maybe some of it was inevitable too.
It’s hard to tell since the world seemed to be flipped upside down since March.
I am drained.
A lot has changed in my personal and work lives. But I can say I remain hopeful and more sure of myself, in how I want to live my life and what I’m looking for.
I’m grateful for being able to still connect with friends and family virtually, and can’t wait until we can safely meet up again in person like old times.
Next year will be about healing and rediscovery.
2021, let’s get it.
We’re now two weeks out from when the election was called, and it is still amazing to see Kamala Harris as our first female Vice President Elect.
It is a huge moment in history that I feel has been overshadowed by the Trump sideshow. 12 years after I voted to elect our first non-white President, I am proud to see our country take this next step.
Last week, Kim Ng was also named General Manager of the Miami Marlins baseball team, becoming the first woman to achieve that position in any of the major men’s sports leagues in North America. As a huge baseball fan myself, it’s about time that a woman got this opportunity.
It is inspiring to see women, especially women of color, break these barriers and expand opportunities for everyone. In the midst of this crazy year, these things help keep me hopeful for a brighter, more equal future.