This year Liz and I celebrated a very different Thanksgiving by visiting our friends Bill and Jill in Utah.
On the day before Thanksgiving Liz, Bill, Jill and I went on a short hike in Antelope Island State Park, which is located on Great Salt Lake. It’s been a while since I’ve gone on a hike. Sure, I’ve gone for walks in parks and in the city to stretch my legs and to enjoy my natural and urban surroundings, but it felt like a long time since I’d been on a hike that warranted hiking boots instead of sneakers.
Once we parked the car and started up the rocky trail, it took me less than a half-dozen steps to feel the exhilaration of hiking and heading into nature. The crunch of gravel under my boots was a familiar and comforting sound. The chilly air was refreshing, and I felt at home.
Up the trail we went. It wasn’t a hard hike, but my lack of exercise over the past few years had me huffing and puffing. Since I had my camera with me it was easy to stop, take a few shots, catch my breath and chat with Bill, Jill and Liz about the geology and beauty of the place. And then move on.
The trail we hiked, the Buffalo Point Trail, is made up of rocks, rocks and more rocks, and we walked over and around giant chunks of bedrock that stuck far out of the ground. It had a kind of surface-of-the-moon feeling to it.
There was a bit of vegetation along the sides of the path, but it was low to the ground. Down in the valley there was more grass, plants and a few trees, but this landscape still felt somewhat barren. It was a landscape that I was clearly not familiar with. We were definitely not in Boston anymore!
As we continued walking there were beautiful vistas at every turn. While it was cloudy at the start of the hike, the sun eventually came out revealing a warm palette of colors on the island. The golden grass and the browns, greens and reds of the rocks and plants perfectly complimented the blue sky.
We spent some time at the top of the Buffalo Point Trail absorbing the warm sun, taking pictures, and having a good time talking. Then we headed back down.
Bill then took us on a drive looking for the bison that live on the island. These big critters were brought over in the 1890s, and their descendants live there today, grazing the grass and looking overdressed for the weather. We saw a couple of them from afar, but it was not worth taking photos because of the distance. Bill kept the search going until we found one closer to the road. It was a solitary animal, and this 1-ton, 7-foot-tall bison was quite a sight. I’ve read about them and seen them in movies and TV shows, but seeing them in person is completely different.
I’ve also read news stories of people approaching bison and getting hurt, and I didn’t want to become a statistic. Still, I had to get out of the car for the best shot. I moved slowly, and I kept a healthy distance. Fortunately, the sun and bison were very cooperative and helped me get some wonderful shots.
What an experience! The hike was wonderful, I was able to get some good photos, and I added a new animal to my life list. The colors, panoramic views and wildlife at Antelope Island made for a great experience. It reminded me that being in nature is my true Zen place and that I should be doing more in it. So I guess I’ll be doing more of it 😁.