Bryce Canyon Hoo Doo Ultra
25 May 2002      I have been scheming to get other runners to join me for a day or two of play at Bryce Canyon for several years now.  I finally got around to running the southern Under-the-Rim trail in October 2001.  I ran from Rainbow Point to Bryce Point, a distance of about 24 miles in 6 hours on a cool day when I was feeling unusually strong while running steadily down the hills and power hiking the uphill sections at a brisk clip, at least for me.  This prodded me to schedule a Memorial Weekend at Bryce and fortunately several others were able to make the trip. The full route using the Peekaboo trail from Bryce and the Queens Garden trail to the rim and then to Fairyland Point is about 34 miles.  The map mileage adds up to 32 miles, John M’s GPS calculations make it out to be 33.5 and my best estimate is 34.2.   I was quite surprised John and I came up with totals that close.  There is about 6,000 feet descent and 4,800 feet ascent going south to north.   Rainbow Point is 9,105 feet.  The Under-the-Rim trail drops to 8,000 and climbs up and down a few times with the low point being around 6,800 feet before climbing back to Bryce Point at 8,294.  The trail to Sunrise Point drops to 7,400 before climbing back to 8,019 and the Fairyland trail drops again to 7,400 before climbing back to 7,804.  There are several smaller climbs along the way.
   The night before, the group had met at Ruby’s Inn for dinner.  Warning, you can expect high prices and only fair or mediocre overcooked food but the buffet does let you eat all you want and the wait wasn’t too bad.   My favorite was the ice cream sundae with chocolatetopping.
   At 7am, Stephen and Kathie Utley, Dana Miller, John and Joan Moellmer, and I drove up to the Rainbow Point trailhead.  Joan was kind enough to shuttle the vehicle back near the Swamp Canyon trailhead.  Joan then hiked the Whiteman to Swamp Canyon section while the rest of us trotted along the Under-the-Rim trail from Rainbow.  Temperatures had dropped below freezing during the night but at the start it had warmed up to a balmy 41 degrees F.  The group had a great time chatting about things and finding the trail by following cairns through the washed out sections.  I tried holding Mud&Guts back by kicking sharp rocks near his feet while running ahead of him for a short while but old “Bloody Shins” was able to avoid the worst of my shots and soon headed out in front. At the Swamp Canyon connecting trail Stephen and Kathie bid the group goodbye and headed for their vehicle and drove back to Hurricane.  I figure that is about 15 miles for them.  Before Stephen left, he let me guzzle his entire water / Gatorade supply except for a sip or two he managed to choke down.  I was just a few minutes behind Dana and John when I took off with 10 miles left to Bryce Point.  I spotted them just ahead on the climb prior to the Yellow Creek basin as I was cresting one hill and they were cresting another.  After that, I was reduced to tortoise speed.  I couldn’t run much and started feeling unusually fatigued.  Mud&Guts and the Prince began to dust me as they accelerated up the hill to Bryce and an aid station staffed by Catherine and Joan.  By the time I dragged my carcass up to Bryce Point in 7 hours and 10 minutes, John and Dana were an hour ahead of me.  I decided to give it up for the day.  I had lost my will to suffer.
   Congratulations to Dana Miller and John Moellmer who went on to complete the entire Hoo Doo Ultra together in about 9 ½ hours.  They said they had a “great time” meaning they didn’t have the urge to kill each other more than once or twice.  Just kidding.  The scenery was more than spectacular; it was out-of-this world kind of stuff.  They were trashed, hammered, wasted, but since they had run the Zion Train 40 miler the week before, the only conclusion is that they acquitted themselves very well, a magnificent display of endurance.  Kudos to the dynamic duo, terrorizing two of the Badlands, the Hoo Doo bandits, the sweaty, the smelly, the proud.  May we wallow in your dust in honorable homage to your skill and tenacity. Amen.
    Catherine, Miles, and I ate dinner at the Bryce Lodge, which turned out to be pricey, and the service was kind of slow.  I liked the fact that they had three vegetarian choices for dinner. The cook was very big on roast garlic and pine nuts.  They did not have a kid menu so Miles had to eat some strange food.  He was not terribly pleased with the odd stuff we stuck on his plate.
   The next day, I felt a bit stronger and was able to run the Fairyland section (5.5 miles) in 1 hour and 18 minutes.  Catherine, Miles, and I then left for Capitol Reef.  Doug and Elliot Moellmer had come down to camp out at Sunset campground with their mom and dad.  I heard that they also toured the Fairyland section.
   In our trip to Torrey, Utah, we stopped by and visited Kodachrome Basin State Park.  It is about 22 miles from Bryce and has a fun Nature Trail and some odd looking formations.  I am prevented from describing them in this story.  Catherine would have to kill me if I did.  We stayed at the Rim Rock Inn and dined there at their restaurant, which was a fun reunion with one of our old stomping grounds.  They have an interesting menu, mainly meats.  The trout was very good and the chicken quite tasty.
   The next morning, Memorial Day, Catherine, Miles, and I had breakfast at the Capitol Reef Inn and Restaurant.   It was terrific and modest in price.  The veggie burrito was scrumptious and the sourdough whole-wheat pancakes terrific. Afterwards, our little family took a hike up Hickman Natural Bridge.  I went on further to the Navajo Rim overlook.  On the way down, I met Paul Hart and a friend, Holly,  coming up the trail.  What a fun treat to run into friends.
   I have plotted for several years to run in three National Parks over a couple of weekends.  This was a fun trip.  I wonder now, though, if I should have taken it a little easier on us by staying with just Zion and Bryce.  Still, I had some great memories going to all three.  The scenery in all of them is just fantastic.  I can’t wait to see them all again up close and personal.   A real disappointment to find the Chappel Cheese factory closed on our way back from Capitol Reef.  Sigh.  Love their Pepper Jack cheese.  Next time.  My “fave” moment?  Well, the time on the Fairyland trail when I was running uphill and came around a corner.  A really tired and sweaty guy younger than me looked up from his labored breathing and gasped, “Running uphill?  NO WAY MAN!”  Also, the astonished look on two women hikers who about 4 miles into the run asked me, “What time did I leave Sunrise Point to get over towards Fairyland Point so soon?”  I looked at my watch and said, “Oh, about 40 minutes ago.”
(It was actually 45 minutes after my brain finally crunched the numbers.)  I had to explain trail running to them and how it had only taken me 20 minutes to do the first 2 miles.  They were shaking their heads in disbelief as I trotted up the trail away from them.  The Fairyland trail is really hard to describe – truly a fantasy type experience.  Just as I neared the end of the trail and was admiring how easy this trail was for hiking and how well kept it was, a couple I was passing asked me, “Is this trail “steep” like this all the way down?”  “Yup! Just like this all the way!” I replied, as I snickered in silence looking at their fashion sandals, plaid shorts, and Hawaiian shirts.
 Irv