The Road to Zion
Strategically placed in south western Utah is by far my new favourite National Park. Hikes for all sorts, spires towering above and slot canyons for the truly adventurous to explore for weeks. Arriving late in the day i was unsure if I'd be able to score a camp site or not. If you've been to an american national park in summertime you'll know what a zoo they can become. Long story short, scored a last minute cancellation: next to the washrooms mind you but at this point I was happy to get anything, plus it had a powered connection to charge the trailer battery (so my princess ass can sleep with the AC on ;))
The park is absolutely beautiful, a true outdoor paradise albeit hot as hell!... I had done some prior research before coming to the park and I knew there were a few must do hikes; Angels Landing, The Narrows and The Subway.
Unfortunately due to being in a national park dogs are not allowed on the trails or anywhere fun, meaning if I wanted to explore I'd have to drop the boys off at none other than The Doggie Dude Ranch... Yes it's a real place, think of it as the Chuckie Cheese for canines. Outfitted with pools, agility courses and furry friends for days, needless to say Ruger had a blast and was a big hit with the ladies there ...
After all was said and done I got back to the campgrounds around 10 and hopped on the shuttle destined for the Grotto stop.
(*For those of you haven't yet traveled to Zion during the tourist season they close off access to the trail heads for private vehicles and run a shuttle bus up the canyon to provide access to the main hikes. At first I was apprehensive about the whole idea but I soon grew accustomed to the convenience of it. Great idea.)
- Ruger being...Ruger
- Angels Landing -
I knew it was going to a hot one being July and starting off just before noon but it had to get done! I crossed the road from the stop and set out on the trail. The bottom of the canyon is beautiful and has no shortage of amazing sights to see even as you begin the hike. First thing I noticed was the trail was somewhat paved which kind of takes away from the beauty of it all, but that thought was soon forgotten as I started to gain elevation as the trail scaled along side the canyon. I knew early on why this hike was top rated in the park, the views were absolutely incredible! and I had only just began.
- 1/4 of the way up the trail looking back down the canyon towards the campgrounds
- The trail eventually snakes its way around the mountain, and cuts into a slot dividing the West Rim from the Landing.
As the trail continues on the shade was well appreciated as the sun was really starting to heat things up. Once behind the landing you reach a series of very tight switch backs which bring you to the trail junction where the West Rim parts from the rest of the Angels Landing trail. I used this as a half way marker to take a break and grab some water as I sized up the rest of the hike from there. I'm not one to shy away from a challenge but at a first glance looking at the remainder of the trail I was slightly surprised at how exposed and challenging it looked. As my buddy Tallahassee once said "time to nut up or shut up".. Off I went.
- The trail to the top ascends the narrow ridge with chains as aids to help you get to the top.
- The view from the top of Angels Landing looking up the canyon towards The Narrows
If you ever get the chance to do Zion this hike is a must! To date Angels Landing is my favourite trail and look forward to doing it again...
Bring your A - Game and leave your fear of heights at home in the dresser.
- The Narrows -
Number 2 on the list was the Zion Narrows, one of the most well known sought after hikes in the southwest. The trail, 16 miles 1 way up or down the Virgin River is one not to be missed! You're literally walking up the river from ankle high to neck high water sandwiched between 1000 foot canyon walls. Unfortunately it had been storming nightly since my arrival so the usually clear water was littered with sediments and had turned a murky brown mud like colour rendering it impossible to see under the surface. *Making it extremely hard to navigate the river as it's lined with large boulders below the surface. That said, I wasn't deterred from challenging the hike but it did make for a long grueling day carefully stepping along the river trying to avoid the ankle breakers, the shin danglers and the leg smanglers.
The trail head was polluted with humans wading in the murky waters, you know, the usual American dream. You can always count on civilization to be there to ruin the serenity; obnoxiously lingering, being loud and ultimately uninformed of what the trail consisted of. I know, I know it's there for all to enjoy right?! Fuck that! Anyways! I'll leave me pessimism for another time.. The silver lining of it all is the further up the Narrows you hike, the less congested it becomes... So hike I did.
before long you're left all by your lonesome passing other self-proclaimed adventurers seldom as you trek along the creek bed further and further, it's magical. At times the river suddenly dropped off to neck deep waters which made for slow traversing and quite the exciting endeavor.
I turned around about 6 pm as I knew I still had to make the trek back and didn't want to get caught in darkness navigating. Took a few hours to only cover 4 miles round trip water trekking is slow going! I'll be back to conquer the entire trail! Hopefully with clear waters next time!
- Until next time Zion
