How I Hit the Proverbial Wall on My Birthday at Capitol Reef- 2021

Twice on my 16-day trip, I hit a major wall. I’ll talk more about the first time in a later post. I want to talk about the second time, the morning and afternoon of my actual day of birth. Happy birthday to me?! When I hit the wall in traveling, that Is when everything I love doing ( hiking, camping, exploring, even a favorite state) becomes so annoying. I hate everything and become the most cranky person known to earth.

Quick side note, I LOVE my birthday; I am that weird girl who gets excited to get older in life; maybe not the aches and pains of the body, but I love looking back to see how far I have come, not only in a professional sense but my mental health, the wisdom I gained, and the ability I have had to steer my life in a different trajectory than what most people thought. Each year I love looking at what I accomplished and experienced while also looking forward. Also, I love my birthday because I love celebrating myself. I used to want to do big parties with my friends, but over the years, I have begun to crave a trip by myself for myself. Parties with many people overwhelm me, so I prefer to celebrate solo. And for whatever reason, significant life changes happen on or around my birthday, like breakups, new jobs, new places to live, a tornado, etc.

I woke up on my birthday in Moab; it was a rough morning because of the wind, I didn’t get much sleep for two nights straight. That night I kept waking up every hour or so. So, when I finally crawled out of my tent along the Colorado River, I was in a significant mood. I was tired and annoyed with life. I was annoyed at my ex and was disappointed that one of my friends couldn’t make it because of life. I packed up camp and set on the road again to Goblin State Park and Capitol Reef. The night before my birthday, I watched the sunset at Dead Horse State Park, my favorite state park. While having my dinner of cheese and crackers on this boulder looking over the Colorado River, I talked with this guy and his daughter, and we chatted for hours. They recommended I go to Goblin State Park since I was going to Capitol Reef. Along my travels, I have met some incredible people. Some even follow me on Instagram, curious about my next travels since I tell people I travel solo.

As I was driving there, I started to get some energy in me until I started to crash again as I got closer to the park. Mind you, it was only an hour and 40 minutes from Moab. I got to the park, parked my car, and explored. There aren’t proper paths around the rocks. I wandered around for like 45 mins or so and decided to call it quits instead of continuing on. I knew I would be in a horrible mood if I couldn’t enjoy the hike because I was starting to feel exhausted, cranky, and annoyed. I returned to my SUV and headed to Capitol Reef, about an hour and 15 minutes away. I got to the visitor’s center, and my mood still didn’t improve too much, even after talking to the rangers. I forced myself to eat food and drink water to see if that would help before setting off on two hikes.

I did two hikes in Capitol Reef; one was Hickman Bridge. It’s about 2 mile round trip in the hot sun. Then I decided to extend this hike to another trail near this trail. To be honest, I don’t remember the trail. All I remember is it was a strenuous hike in the sun, and I gave up before I got to the view (again, something I don’t typically do), I left the park in even more of a mood. I decided to head to Bryce National Park, about 3 and a half hours away.

As I was driving there, I officially smacked hard into the wall. After driving for a while, I stopped before I got to Boulder, pulled over to the side of the road, and tried to take a 30 min nap. It was nice to close my eyes, but I didn’t sleep. I gave up and continued my drive through Escalante until I saw heaven, a bright yellow sign that said KOA, a chain of campgrounds that are a little bit fancier than other campgrounds. Think washer, dryer, maybe a pool, etc. This was about 25 minutes from Bryce National Park. I debated whether to “give up” for the day or go to Bryce and pray I could find a camping spot. As I saw the yellow sign getting bigger, I finally said fuck it, and I pulled in. They had a site for me, and I was overjoyed. I paid and went to my campsite and started to make camp. After what seemed to be a long shower to wash all my clothes, I headed back down to the visitor's building and tried using the pool. The pool was too cold to use, so I just laid outside and read a book while my clothes were getting washed.

I felt guilty on so many levels. First, I was mentally and physically exhausted, though, at that point, I had been on the road for ten days in three states, 5 National parks, and two state parks, and experienced four distinct seasons, including snow in Grant Tetons and 100 degrees in Utah. But I felt guilty for not roughing it as “one should” as I got excited to be at a pool though it was cloudy and cold. This was my most extended road trip, purely camping. You would have thought I was proud of accomplishing all of that solo! I was, but not now. I had a version of my trip of roughing it and doing all these activities, and I felt like I failed. Isn’t it amazing how your brain tricks you when you are mentally and physically exhausted and still feel guilty for not doing and enjoying everything the way you’re “supposed to?”

Once my clothes were done, I returned to camp, started making my dinner of dehydrated food, and enjoyed a beer or two by my campfire. Then Mother Nature decided to put on a show of a fantastic sunset. I am a sunset girl; I will legit chase down a sunset if I know it will be good. At that moment, I allowed myself to enjoy my “fancy” camping and to chill the fuck out and enjoy the moment on my birthday. 

The big takeaway if you are making a long trip with non-stop activities, learn how to have a rest day or rest morning or afternoon. I know it’s hard to do that when you want to see and do everything, but it will improve your experience. Because I didn’t listen to my body or mind, I missed being in the moment of the two parks. And it made my drive so much harder. I am guilty of not taking rest days on trips, but I have learned that it is okay to chill out…okay, I’m still learning to do that...

Have you ever hit the wall when you travel? What happens to you when you hit the wall? How do you prevent burnout on holiday? Email me. I would love to hear about your experiences and tips!