Our trip started with the long drive out to Zion National Park. We arrived on Saturday night, just in time for sunset. After sunset we checked into our hotel, the Pioneer Lodge in Springdale. This was my favorite hotel of our vacation. The decor was great and the beds were really comfy. I’m sure that during the regular season it is overpriced, but we got a good deal since this is supposed to be the off-season. We just lucked out with the record high summer-like temperatures.
Sunday morning we woke up early so that we could get in as much hiking as possible before the sun set. Our first stop was the Weeping Rock, a short little hike to a neat arch in the canyon walls. Here, water has seeped through the sandstone and collided with a shale layer. The water is forced out of the side of the rock here and drips down, forming a year round seep. After visiting the Weeping Rock we continued up and up the trail to the Hidden Canyon, a beautiful hanging canyon with dryfalls, steep walls, and arches.
Next we stopped by the Narrows. There is a nice paved trail along the Virgin River that ends at the entrance to the Narrows. Having asked at the Visitor’s Center, we knew that the water was only knee deep at the worst, and we planned on walking down the Narrows for a while. Well, I didn’t pay attention to the fact that the water was 47 degrees, and since I’m a big baby I stopped at the end of the paved trail and waited for David while he walked down the Narrows for a short distance. Lesson Learned: Next time I’ll bring neoprene socks.
The last hike and definite highlight of the day was Angel’s Landing. This is a towering rock in the middle of the canyon, with 1500 foot drops on either side. It was named Angel’s Landing by early visitors who thought the rock’s summit could only be visited by Angels. That couldn’t keep a few hearty hikers away, and now the rock is scaled by many people every year. The hike is easy at first – it climbs up some cleverly built switchbacks and is wide and paved. After the switchbacks one reaches a nice viewpoint of the canyon below. At the same time, one sees the imposing ridge of Angel’s Landing rising to their right. This ridge is narrow and steep, and chains have been installed for the guidance and safety of those who wish to climb the extra distance to the summit.
Now, if this trail were mere feet of the ground it wouldn’t warrant a second thought from the average hiker. But, the enormous dropoff to either side of the ridge adds an element of danger and fear that scares many people away. I’m (luckily) not scared of heights and had a lot of fun scrambling up the ridge, enjoying the views and terrain along the way. I saw some people who look terrified, some who simply looked nervous, and others who were clearly having the time of their lives (other than me). We met a condor who was sitting in a tree next to the trail – by all accounts he had been there for hours – surveying the ridge, obviously waiting for someone to slip and fall. No one obliged, so Mr Condor went to bed hungry.
After Angel’s Landing we headed out of the park towards Bryce.
