Hoodoos

Bryce Canyon: endless views and monuments erected by the mighty forces that are. I recall standing near the edge of a cliff at the park with what seemed to be a several hundred foot decent. There was no room for error and my movement was well thought out. I placed extra care on each movement I made knowing that one mistake and I would certainly slip and plummet to the depths below. The muscles in my legs, core and upper body were working in harmony in directing my balance and footing on the gravel topped limestone upon which I was standing.

The purpose for the parks designation as a national park has everything to do with the spires throughout the canyon called “Hoodoos”. According to the National Park Service:

“Hoodoos are formed by two weathering processes that continuously work together in eroding the edges of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. The primary weathering force at Bryce Canyon is frost wedging. Here we experience over 200 freeze/thaw cycles each year. In the winter, melting snow, in the form of water, seeps into the cracks and freezes at night. When water freezes it expands by almost 10%, bit by bit prying open cracks, making them ever wider in the same way a pothole forms in a paved road.”

“In addition to frost wedging, what little rain we get here also sculpts the hoodoos. Even the crystal clear air of Bryce Canyon creates slightly acidic rainwater. This weak carbonic acid can slowly dissolve limestone grain by grain. It is this process that rounds the edges of hoodoos and gives them their lumpy and bulging profiles.”

As with Hoodoos, we too experience processes that continuously work together attempting to erode us. The effects of the elements have created beautiful spires and with our experiences we too will feel the effects and changes as they transpire. As with my experience in keeping my balance and footing atop the loose rock, my body was able to react as a whole to keep myself from slipping. We have the ability to utilize our faculties in making decisions when the elements seek to destroy us. Out of those hardest moments come the most remarkable refinements.