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Bryce
Canyon in Winter
We
visit Bryce Canyon in both our Elk Meadows episode during
winter and our Kanab episode during summer. There is
a good reason for this, it is simply beautiful. For
as magnificently large as it is, it is a fairly easy
place to explore in just a day. Although, the beauty
and mystery can hold your interest for much longer.
A
few years ago, I spent my Thanksgiving break camping
with a dozen friends in Zion National Park. On the last
day of the trip, we decided to head over to Bryce Canyon.
By the time we arrived, the weather that had thankfully
been dry to that point turned into a heavy snow due
to Bryce Canyon's elevation. The sight of pristine white
snow piling up on the odd looking red rock spires of
Bryce is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen.
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Although
numerous Indian tribes have lived in this area,
none ever inhabited Bryce. The Indians believed
the canyon to be enchanted, and the main character
in all of their stories about the canyon revolve
around the trickster hero Coyote. Some stories describe
the canyon as the ruins of a great city made by
Coyote that became buried in mud. |
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Paiute Indians have a more intriguing tale. Before
man existed, Bryce was home to the Te-when-an -ung-wa.
These were giant creatures that were really birds,
lizards, and other animals. They had the power to
make themselves look human and they liked to paint
their faces. They were ruled by Coyote. These animal-people
began to |
fight
and steel among themselves, and finally Coyote decided
they were evil-spirits. One day, in a moment of anger
he turned them all into stone right where they stood.
That is why, the story explains, many of the colored
formations of Bryce Canyon look like humans doing
various
things like standing, sitting, talking, or fighting.
Paiute Indians refer to Bryce as Angka-ku-wass-a-wits
meaning "red painted faces".
As
incredibly beautiful as Bryce Canyon is, one can not
help but appreciate the words of Mormon homesteader
Ebenezer Bryce for whom Bryce Canyon is named when
he
described it as "…a hell of a place to loose
a cow."
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