Buckskin Gulch Round Two was a success. This was hands down my favorite adventure from the trip, if not ever.

This canyon was magical. The silence was profound. Several times a raven flew down through the canyon, and I could hear each of its feathers rustle the air. Then, more silence. My ears were ringing with it.

Every time I rounded a bend I’d think it couldn’t get better, and then it did. There are approximately a million photos in this post because I just didn’t have the heart to cut any.

Towards the beginning of the slot there was a ladder that was impassible for Norman. Mom stayed behind with him while I went on, but as I wandered through on my own all I could think was that she had to see this. After half an hour or so I turned back to trade places with her, and ran into a man who asked if I was the one with the big black dog. When I said yes, he said he’d showed my mom a scramble that bypassed the ladder, but she thought it might be too steep. I hurried back to find her and together we went up and over. It was steep but doable, and we were able to wander together for the rest of the adventure. I am so grateful to that man.

We could have wandered forever, 13 miles if we wanted, but at some point we had to call it and head back. The hike from the mouth of the canyon back to the car felt much further than it did on the way in. We were tired.

From there we headed further West, the road taking us though Zion. I’d been there as a kid and wasn’t super impressed with it, but I must have been crazy. It’s completely gorgeous and for sure warrants a trip of its own. We were too tired to do anything but stare through the windshield though. I randomly stuck my camera out the window to capture the scenery speeding by, and we joked that those would end up being the best photos from the trip.