Zion National Park
3:02 PM
Continuing our Zion Road Trip:
We woke up early on the third day in our tent near Zion and prepared to head out. We wanted to beat the crowds, as this memorial weekend was sure to be packed. We got there early enough to not have to wait long in line for the shuttle. We rode the bus down all the way to The Narrows. In the rush, I forgot to pack our snacks, so all we had to eat while in the park were our PB&J's.
The Narrows is the narrowest section of Zion Canyon, well known for the hike up the Virgin River. We passed many tourists in rented garb and boots, quite a few in full on body suits. Our simple shorts, t-shirts, and Tabis (bought in Hawaii) were all we found necessary to wear - but couldn't have done without our set of hiking poles split between us. The water was cold, but we numbed fairly quickly and were fine. The water made it up to my belly button in some sections of the river. Many of the deeper currents were strong, and required bracing ourselves on our poles to get across on our feet. It was so fun! This was a highlight of our trip. We didn't hike quite as far as we would normally, because we knew we wanted to hike Angel's Landing in Zion that same day.
After rinsing off best we could at the restroom, we pulled our tennis shoes out of our backpack and headed to Angel's Landing trailhead. Seasoned hikers as we seem to be, we managed to pass nearly everyone we came across on our way up - that is... until we got to the narrow section where you are forced to single-file. Being memorial weekend, it was packed!
There was a lot of waiting at the end, as the hikers going up had to wait for those coming down to pass and vice versa. The views were magnificent from the last half-mile narrow section of the trail. A chain is there for all hikers to hold on to while maneuvering up and over the rocky surface. One foot trepidatiously in front of the other, we made our way atop the cliff walls - which drop at least 1200', with the narrowest section being only a few feet wide. It was breathtaking - a bucket list hike checked off. We couldn't dawdle at the top too long with so many people. Hiking and jogging back down, we took the bus back to the visitor center and our car.
The day wasn't over yet - next stop was Bryce Canyon, where we would explore and hike yet another trail before calling it a day. Stay tuned.
The Narrows is the narrowest section of Zion Canyon, well known for the hike up the Virgin River. We passed many tourists in rented garb and boots, quite a few in full on body suits. Our simple shorts, t-shirts, and Tabis (bought in Hawaii) were all we found necessary to wear - but couldn't have done without our set of hiking poles split between us. The water was cold, but we numbed fairly quickly and were fine. The water made it up to my belly button in some sections of the river. Many of the deeper currents were strong, and required bracing ourselves on our poles to get across on our feet. It was so fun! This was a highlight of our trip. We didn't hike quite as far as we would normally, because we knew we wanted to hike Angel's Landing in Zion that same day.
After rinsing off best we could at the restroom, we pulled our tennis shoes out of our backpack and headed to Angel's Landing trailhead. Seasoned hikers as we seem to be, we managed to pass nearly everyone we came across on our way up - that is... until we got to the narrow section where you are forced to single-file. Being memorial weekend, it was packed!
There was a lot of waiting at the end, as the hikers going up had to wait for those coming down to pass and vice versa. The views were magnificent from the last half-mile narrow section of the trail. A chain is there for all hikers to hold on to while maneuvering up and over the rocky surface. One foot trepidatiously in front of the other, we made our way atop the cliff walls - which drop at least 1200', with the narrowest section being only a few feet wide. It was breathtaking - a bucket list hike checked off. We couldn't dawdle at the top too long with so many people. Hiking and jogging back down, we took the bus back to the visitor center and our car.
The day wasn't over yet - next stop was Bryce Canyon, where we would explore and hike yet another trail before calling it a day. Stay tuned.
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