![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/espacestudio.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Betty-Diaries-Bad-bugs-ruining-it-for-the-rest-of.jpg?resize=360%2C480&ssl=1\")
Kate Sonnick<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
I\u2019ve been binging the OG season of \u201cSex <\/em>and the City\u201d for the past week. So, the other day, when I saw a meme of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte all huddled together in little black dresses with the caption, \u201cThe bed bugs of Paris,\u201d I had to laugh.<\/p>\n But the laugh\u2019s on me as I head to the City of Light this week for des petites vacances<\/em>. In case you just crawled out from under a Sealy Posturpedic, Paris is in the throes of a bed bug crisis seemingly on par with the initial onset of the pandemic. Insert scream emoji and cue the \u201cewww.\u201d<\/p>\n Moments after sharing the \u201cSex and the City\u201d bed bug meme on Instagram, my cousin, who is coincidentally also traveling to Paris, messaged me, \u201cI AM FREAKING OUT ABOUT THIS WITH MY TRIP COMING UP ON SUNDAY!\u201d<\/p>\n And he\u2019s not alone.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not quite lockdown, but let\u2019s just say the typically savoir-faire<\/em> Parisians are not exactly laissez-faire<\/em> about the situation. Who can blame them? Paris is taking a hard line against the bugs as they prepare to host the Olympics next summer. They\u2019re not about to let an infestation of les punaises<\/em>, as the French call them, threaten that.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The issue came to light during Paris Fashion Week, which ended recently. Images of creepers crawling on hotel sheets, on trains and even at Charles de Gaulle airport were all over social media.<\/p>\n \u201cIs the bed bug fashion\u2019s newest IT girl?\u201d one post inquired. The deputy mayor of Paris Emmanuel Gr\u00e9goire declared, \u201cNo one is safe.\u201d The National Pest Management Association issued a warning for those traveling back to the States to beware of the the insects hitching a ride.<\/p>\n And just like that, a few bad bugs ruining the magic for the rest of us.<\/p>\n As I was freaking out about bugs infiltrating my favorite magical place, I saw a news report about a magical place right here in Park City that\u2019s also being threatened by its own kind of bad bugs.<\/p>\n I\u2019m talking about The Church of Dirt, the scenic makeshift chapel at the top of Guardsman Pass. Last week, the Park City Council voted unanimously to shut it down. Park City Council member Max Doilney said it\u2019s an example of a public space being loved to death due to overuse.<\/p>\n The Church of Dirt\u2019s rustic arbor and wooden benches were left behind by the former owners of the land, who once held a wedding there.<\/p>\n It seemed like a good idea at the time. Such a good idea, in fact, that people came from all over the country to be married there. They \u201creserved\u201d their weddings on wooden signs marked with a date.<\/p>\n The fantasy of a micro wedding with majestic views of the Wasatch Mountains was hard to resis<\/p>\n \u2014 especially during the pandemic\u2019s social distancing. But the reality as the once-secret spot became more and more popular was overflowing parking lots, garbage, misunderstandings over scheduling, and the belief that the public space was somehow a private venue. Bad bugs ruining it for the rest of us.<\/p>\n I\u2019m usually very good at keeping secrets. I make an exception though, when it comes to places like the Church of Dirt. I loved showing it off to friends visiting Park City. I\u2019d never tell them where we were going. We\u2019d hike up the trail and I\u2019d get to experience the magic all over again \u2014 through their eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d they\u2019d whisper, catching their breath as they paused to snap pics.<\/p>\n But those of us who live here know the best way to experience the Church of Dirt is to take a mental picture. The memories last longer that way.<\/p>\n One winter when I first moved out here, I skinned up the road with a guy I dated briefly. We sat next to each other on one of the wooden benches and ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches out of tin foil that glinted in the sun. We drank High West whiskey out of a flask that had a picture of the Mormon Temple on it. I remember we didn\u2019t talk much in that moment. We didn\u2019t need to.<\/p>\n In the fall, I hiked up to the spot with a bunch of my friends for a sunset happy hour. It was wool-beanie-flannel-shirt-and-puffy weather as we stood around a wooden table someone had left behind. There were Tupperware containers filled with charcuterie and pumpkin bread and Toblerone, and we sipped Pinor Noir out of Hydro Flask tumblers. The sun dipped just below the horizon as I took a picture of the twig arbor, its silvery branches supported by a pile of rocks and an old oriental rug.<\/p>\n One January, I did a full-moon ski tour up to the Church of Dirt with a group of backcountry skiers. The Wolf Moon was so bright we didn\u2019t even need our headlamps. At the top, we took off our skis and sat in a circle in the snow. Our guide gave each of us a toothpick. She made a tiny fire out of a Kleenex and told us each to light the toothpick while we set our intention for the new year. I\u2019m pretty sure there was some howling after that \u2014 wolf howls and laughter. Another memory made.<\/p>\n At the end of the day, the Church of Dirt is just a dusty clearing in the sagebrush, a pile of broken sticks, and a few wooden benches. So why is it so special? I think there\u2019s something about discovering abandoned places that truly captures our imagination. It\u2019s a hint of humanity in the natural world. Proof that we were here.<\/p>\n I guess we\u2019ll have to find another secret spot. And I have no doubt we will \u2014 if we haven\u2019t already. One filled with its own raw splendor. Its magical, mystical sense of place. It won\u2019t be Paris, but it will be all ours.<\/p>\n And we will have to find a way to keep the bad bugs out.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n