Destination: Antelope Canyon and Salt Lake City, UT (6 hours, 360 miles)
We had a slow morning as our tour of Antelope Canyon wasn’t until 11. Beckett woke us up again around 5 so we had quite a bit of time to burn. By the time we left the AirBnB we were all going a bit crazy.
We made the short drive to Antelope canyon and got ready. I was worried we wouldn’t be allowed in because it said everywhere that no backpacks are allowed. Even though they told us we could bring Beckett in a hiking backpack. They didn’t end up saying anything and we were off to the canyon…I would quickly learn why backpacks aren’t allowed and hiking backpacks shouldn’t be allowed.
The initial descent into the Canyon is via 5 flights of stairs. Two of which are incredibly steep. Over the next hour and fifteen minutes we wound our way through the quarter mile canyon and got to experience some of the most amazing views. We had seen the Instagram photos and thought it must be some amazing photographer with perfect lightning. Turns out, all you need is a camera phone and no skill. It was impossible to take anything but an absolutely stunning photo.
While the canyon was breathtaking, hiking through it was another story. I was constantly trying to keep Beckett safe around the canyon walls and overhangs. There were multiple times I was squatting, shuffling or being helped through the canyon by Jaclyn. The pace was incredibly slow (quarter mile took over an hour) and Brooke was getting restless and pretty much throwing sand everywhere (that continues to be her favorite part). When the guide said we were halfway I almost quit since I figured the odds of keeping B&B happy for much longer was gonna be tough. Sand starting to pour in from the top also didn’t help things. But we kept going!
We finished up the hike a little before 1:30 and started driving north for SLC. On the drive we went by Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon (victims of a full timeline). Again, the views on the ride were absolutely amazing and looked significantly different every hour.
While the drive proved long and difficult we made it just south of SLC for the night. I carried Brooke directly from the car to the hotel bed and tucked her. We all crashed and hoped that gaining an hour by leaving AZ (which doesn’t follow Daylight Savings) would cause Beckett to sleep past 5.
-Jay