Zion With A Quick Trip To Bryce

May 26, 2018

Lucky Us!

When we did our cross country drive to Arizona last summer, the return drive had us going through Utah where we stayed a wonderful night in Moab. We were all enchanted by the red rock country, Jenny especially, and spoke of the need to return and explore it more. Since we had an extra long weekend over Memorial Day, we decided to head back to red rock country via a nonstop into Vegas. The only catch? We would have to travel on Billy’s birthday. The good news was that we would be landing early enough to enjoy a meal at one of the excellent restaurants in Vegas-sushi we decided-Billy’s favorite!

Our dinner, while ridiculously expensive was absolutely delicious. I had used a free night certificate that was going to expire soon so our hotel was free and thus allowed the splurge for a memorable meal. With satiated bellies we were all asleep before it was dark!

This morning had us up and out the door by 6:15. We had decided over dinner last night, that we would make the trek to Bryce Canyon National Park (a four hour drive) and then head on to Zion (another 2 hour drive). Zion is only 2 1/2 hours from Vegas so we were going the really long way but we figured we were here so we should see it and we are all road warriors so time in the car is no big deal to us.

The drive from Vegas to the Arizona border was about as boring as my college psychology professor, but after that the scenery picked up. As we drove north on I-15, we marveled at the change of scenery we experienced along the way-all of it various shades of green- olive mountains, emerald fields, and almost turquoise rivers. We were entertained for a long stretch watching a crop duster flying acrobatically low across the ground then banking straight up to the heavens, only to repeat the death-defying feat moments later.

As we drove higher and higher, we suddenly busted through the verdant vistas we had been enjoying to shocking crimson hills, seemingly carefully etched in wondrous shapes. The contrast of colors-the shockingly red hills, the smattering of deep green bushes against the azure sky was a remarkable sight!

As we approached the entrance to Bryce National Park, we encountered what we feared would set the tone for our trip-long lines, hordes of people and little solace. The car line was ten deep in four lanes across but I moved to the far right where I saw a ranger who appeared to be letting cars through and I was hoping that our annual pass would do the trick-bingo! We were waved right through. But a minute later we encountered the next back up at the parking lot of the visitor center. I told Jenny and Billy to hop out and I would just keep driving in circles until they were done but a few minutes later, Bingo! I got a front row spot-lucky us!

The ranger inside told me that I should go and park in the lot a few miles away and take a shuttle into the park if we had any desire to see anything. She said I’d never find a parking spot if we drove in on our own but if we insisted, we should try to park at Sunrise Point.

A few minutes later we approached the turn off for Sunrise Point and I suggested we just give it a try for the heck of it. We drove in to find a line of cars that we slowly inched along with when bingo! A car leaves and we grab their shady spot! A few minutes later I overhear the parking ranger saying they closed the entrance to the parking lot because there were too many people and not enough spaces available. Lucky us!

I asked that same ranger to clarify a hike the other ranger had told me about. He recommended we do it in the reverse of what we were told because, he said, the ascent from the valley floor would be more gradual in the counterclockwise direction-something that sounded far more appealing to all of us.

There is something about walking through a thick forest of tall trees only to be met abruptly by an abyss as far as the eye can see to put into perspective just how truly minuscule we are. Those last steps after clearing the canopy, to a wide open space of seemingly never ending chasms has always captured my imagination. I think of the initial pioneers, who carved the “roads” west and what they must have thought when they came upon that. Ohhhhhhh sh@t… is what comes to my mind! I think after coming to terms with the obstacle that lay ahead, they must have thought, it a most bizarre but wondrous sight.

Our hike down was steep with switchback after switchback taking us further below the rim and deeper into the land of hoodoos. Each one unique, like a fingerprint, some standing sentry alone, others poised together, and some with tops that look as though the next great gust will certainly push it over. Such a unique place.

Once to the bottom, the trail wound through a more forested environment whose shade brought nice respites from the blazing sun. We were amazed at the various people that were out hiking-loads of family, some with kids too small to walk but most with wee ones who were delighting in their adventure, very senior couples who I was amazed by, the perpetual hikers, and of course many foreigners-Chinese, Japanese, Indian, French, Italian, Spanish, South African and Dutch. I recognize the language the moment they speak it, a mother tongue I never learned but one that resonates with my heart when it is spoken. I also always greet my Dutch “kin,” usually to their wonderment.

The ascent up, 660 feet, was not nearly as strenuous as the descent going down. We felt for the poor souls who were going the opposite way. Once to the top, we walked along the rim trail for the full overview of the magnificent canyon below. We stopped to take photos and I said what a true treat it was to be able to witness something so lovely and truly special.

We decided that the little over three mile hike we just completed was spectacular and knew it was considered the jewel of the park, so the decision was made to not venture any further into the park but to start our journey on to Zion. I thanked the parking ranger again for his fantastic advice to do the trail in reverse, and we headed out.

The drive along the beautiful greenish hued Pine Creek, meandered through a lush valley all the while with the beautiful mountains on both sides was lovely. I suggested Billy could take a little cat nap but he responded, “And miss this. No way!” As we began to drop down into Zion, the soaring white and red rock mountains began to appear-what an amazing view. The rock looks like giant rippled sand dunes in varying shade of grey, white, pink and red that have been frozen hard over time.

As we slowly zigzagged our way through the canyon, we came upon The trailhead for the short Canyon View trail that I had read about. People said it is usually a good one to go to when the park is busy, that it is usually not too crowded but that was not the case today. I turned into what small area in the pull out I could manage and hoped someone would come soon. Bingo! A few minutes later we were in-Lucky us!

The hike started with steps going up, built into the rock and then took a sharp right turn following high above Pine Creek. On one side, the rocks were close enough to touch, on the other, a drop off into Pine Creek Canyon. At points, handrails had been hammered into the rock to act as a barrier and to probably give acrophobic people like me a sense of security.

At one point the mountain face became so steep that wooden planks were laid down on top of metal grating which was then screwed into the rock face to act as footing. Not my ideal trail but surprisingly, I managed OK. The trail wound through caves, past lush mini grottos and over rock worn smooth by the test of time and probably millions of hiking shoes!

 

Half a mile later we arrived at the viewpoint high above the road below and looking out at some of the more famous geographical features in Zion-the sentinel, the beehives, the streaked wall and the altar of sacrifice ( so named one would assume, from the streak of red running down from the top). The sun was in our face so the view wasn’t as amazing as I would assume it otherwise would be, but spectacular nonetheless.

A quick return to the car and the drive through the Zion Mount Carmel tunnel-a 1.1 mile long tunnel, built in the late ’20s, that is credited for taking Zion from a completely isolated park to the ridiculously busy one it is today, and we arrived into the town of Springdale-our home for the next two nights.

We checked in, got settled and then took the free town shuttle up the road to dinner-The Spotted Dog Cafe. Our meal was very good-smoked trout and artichoke appetizers plus a game meatloaf, duck breast and pesto pasta for our entrees. As our mojo was fading, we headed back to the hotel to get the sleep we needed to take on our seven mile hike tomorrow. But first we all marveled at the beauty of the setting sun on the tips of the crimson walls surrounding us, truly spectacular…

May 27, 2018

Wrecked, in a Good Way

Today was a planned day-a long hike to take in all that is Zion. In my compulsive preplanning stage, I came across a trip report where someone had hired a shuttle to take them to the rim above Zion canyon where they could then hike back down to the bottom. It sounded perfect to me-a hike that is not out and back on the same trail, that gives you a different prospective, and the first three miles at least should not be too crowded.

The drive up to the trailhead was a repeat of yesterday’s drive in, only in the opposite direction and only I wasn’t driving this time so I got the wonderful perspective of being a passenger. It was insane the lines we past for people to get on the shuttle to take them in the park (we heard later the lines were up to two hours long), so I was very thankful I had planned the hike this way.

Not too long after we passed through the Zion Mt Carmel Bridge, we turned off the highway on to a dirt road. The drive was beautiful through many private ranches until thirty minutes later we came to the trailhead. The shuttle dropped us off and before we knew it, we were left to our own devices to make our way back down to the main canyon following the East Mesa Trail.

The walk along the high rim country reminded all of us of Greer-the air was still a tad bit crisp, the sky was as blue as a pair of original 501s, the sun was heating the downed pine needles giving them that distinct smell, and the wind in the tops of the pines sounded like the ocean; it brought us all to a happy place!

We passed bright yellow false sunflowers, wild purple lupine and pink geraniums, dainty white rock daisies and prickly pear cactus with fuchsia flowers. The greenery was of a variety unfamiliar to me, save for the pine trees and junipers. Off to both sides were views out over equally impressive canyons-all carved from the force of water.

As we drew closer to the “star of the show,” we recognized that fact the land area was getting smaller and smaller. The canyons on either side were coming closer to the main trail. We could also tell because we joined with another trail and we began to encounter more and more people. We only saw a handful on the first three miles, leaving us to hike in solace.

As we emerged from the trees, all of Zion Canyon lay in front of us…wow! We hadn’t actually seen any of this part yet (the entire main canyon of the national park), so to see it from 2500 feet above was mesmerizing. The grandness of it all, with its imposing sheer white, black and rust rock walls was magnificent.

From where we stood on top of Observation Point, we looked down on the famed Angel’s Landing. We could see the lines of hikers backed up waiting for their turn to cross the spine of the rock, holding on to nothing but a chain. I was much happier with our decision from where we were perched.

We found a nice place in the shade, away from the precipice that was bringing nausea on watching all the people standing right on the edge of it, and settled in. We were enjoying the moment, munching away on our vegetarian sandwiches when Jenny suddenly says, “Oh mom,” in this tone that you know means there is something that she knows that I am not gonna like. “What?” I ask trying not to panic too quickly. “Oh mom,” she says again. Now the heart starts racing a bit faster. “What?” I ask again in a more forceful tone. “What is it?” Slowly her hand goes up, out comes her pointer finger and she says, “I think that’s the trail over there,” pointing across the chasm that divided us. I stand and look and see brightly colored shirts moving on a trail that is clearly cut into the mountain with a long steep drop off on the side. I take a deep breath and defiantly say, “There are trees on the side of the trail. I will be Ok. It’s only if it is total exposure that I’d freak out.” “Oh mom,” she says again. “I’ll be Ok,” I assure her again. “Uhm mom, I wasn’t pointing to that part of the trail. I was pointing to the crack in the rock.” “What do you mean, the crack in the rock? How can there be a trail in the crack of a rock?” Looking even harder all I see is a sheer rock face. “You see that crack over there? Look at it and just below that to the right. You see that V carved into the rock? I think that’s the trail,” Jenny says, almost afraid that she’s right. In total disbelief, I stare even harder until sure enough, I see people moving on it. There isn’t a tree or a bush anywhere. It is literally carved in a zigzag down a sheer rock wall face-nothing but exposure. I sit back down in total silence and finish my sandwich. Then say, “I think I’m gonna vomit.” Jenny offers me a cookie, as though that might fix everything and I say, “Well, I have no choice. I’m just gonna have to suck it up and do it.”

See the < on the right side of the stone face? That’s what Jenny was pointing at-the trail!

The first part of the trail was as I had suspected, even with the two thousand foot drop offs, I was OK. The trees and bushes provided the barrier I needed. But after that holy cow…was that a different story. The trail was about five feet wide but at some points it was no more than three feet wide. The exposure off the one side was total insanity (though I think Angel’s Landing is even worse). I hung tight to the rock wall, as did Jenny because I warned her she had better if she didn’t want to be embarrassed by me freaking out at her if she got too close to the edge!

 

There were only a few times I actually made audible gasps but besides that, I actually did just fine. As we traversed the escarpment, the views of the rugged canyon kept changing but each was equally majestic. Down, down, down we went. We reminisced about one of our hikes in Patagonia where we were wishing for some more uphill to take the pressure off our knees and toes-we found ourselves wishing for the same now. The sun was scorching and there were few spots that relieved us from its relentless beating. As such, I was astonished at the number of hikers going up with nothing more than a small bottle of water.

We eventually entered a beautiful slot canyon where the cooler air and flatter terrain was a welcome respite. We thought perhaps we were near the bottom but after another turn we came out looking over the road below, with still almost a thousand feet to go down another set of vertical switchbacks.

There’s the trail and that tiny thin green line behind the tree is where the road is.

By the time we made it to the bottom, we had descended four miles and 2100 feet in just about two hours.

We grabbed a park shuttle back to the visitor center and then the free shuttle back to the hotel. Billy and I grabbed a beer on the deck while Jenny cleaned up. We walked across the street to the Spur and Bit, had a great Mexican dinner and then back to the hotel where I left Jenny and Billy in the lobby for a little father daughter time to play a few games of pool.

We were in bed by dusk and all agreed it had been a fabulous day. A day spent with family surrounded by the wonders of nature, not too much more one could ask for!

May 28, 2018

Wrecked Yesterday, Obliterated Today

This morning was an early call, we planned to be out the door with bags packed by 7:00 AM. We were driving to Zion Lodge where we would spend the night tonight and because of that, we were able to park our car there and pick up the shuttle from there to the trailhead-a huge time savings! Our destination for the day was The Narrows, the one thing Jenny had specifically requested to do on this trip. We had picked up the necessary gear yesterday-neoprene socks, water boots and a wading staff. We had received conflicting reports whether or not the special gear was necessary but I had decided, overkill in these situations is always better than underkill.

We arrived at the trailhead a little before eight with maybe a dozen other people. The air was cooler than crisp and there was a steady breeze with overcast skies. The first mile of the trail was a paved path that followed along the banks of the beautiful, gin-clear Virgin River. It had a turquoise tint in the deeper spots and frankly reminded us of so many of the wild rivers we had seen in Patagonia. Along the sides of the trails, were hanging gardens of ferns and wildflowers with very small springs erupting from the rock above.

Where the Riverside walk ends, The Narrows begins. We wasted no time hopping in the water and starting the trek up the Virgin River Canyon. The initial shock of cold water quickly subsided as we rapidly became accustomed to the chilly temperature. There was about twenty of us that entered the water at the same time but we quickly upped our game to get in front of them so we would not be traveling in a pack with them the whole time.

Our initial exposure to the canyon was utter fascination. There is nothing like being at the base to give you the perspective of just how immense the walls are. Yesterday we were at the top, today the bottom. Every turn brought on the “Oh Wows” and “Spectaculars.”

The hike winds it’s way through the canyon floor, traversing the river bottom. There are times you must cross the river to reach the dry land, sometimes its ankle deep and sometimes mid-thigh but all the time you are walking on river rocks and even though the river was gin clear, it was at times difficult to judge the size and shape of where you were placing your foot. The good news was that the gear was awesome-boots with support for the ankles and sticky rubber soles and the pole which kept us upright as we moved quickly up river.

Our thirty minutes of pushing hard paid off because for the remainder of our trek we were by ourselves almost the entire time. It was glorious…beyond glorious…it was truly magical!

We arrived at the junction for Orderville Canyon around 10:00 and decided to press on for another hour, through Wall Street and Floating Rock. We had been told there was no more high ground (not that any of the ground had been really high), and that area became more dangerous in case of floods.

The outfitter yesterday had given us the site to check for the weather forecast and this morning it had said 40% chance of thunderstorms beginning at noon-making for a possibility of flash floods. Some place you do not want to be is in one of these slot canyons during a flood. Unfortunately, deep in the canyon, we had no service to continue to monitor the radar and because we could only see a slight slice of the sky, which remained grey, we had to rely on the initial forecast and thus it was prudent to turn around. We had traveled three miles up river, far further than most people travel and it had remained that there were few other hikers than us.

On the return, we were astounded by the numbers of people now in the Narrows-it was truly disgusting. We literally passed hundreds and hundreds of people. We saw people trying to hike it in flip flops and bare feet and people carrying their kids (who had regular sparkly street shoes on)-outrageous! We were so thankful we went early and got out when we did. We would have had a completely different experience otherwise!

We grabbed the shuttle back to the hotel, picked up the car and drove to town where we had a tasty lunch at Thai Sapa. We returned our rental gear, checked out a few shops and returned to the lodge to enjoy the beautiful surroundings and some time on our deck looking at the beauty that was there.

Dinner was at the lodge, thank goodness I had made a reservation ahead of time because people were being turned away and there is no other option in the park-you have to drive to Springdale. Dinner was good-but the view sitting outside and the company was what really made it spectacular.

Yesterday Billy said we wrecked him. Today he said we had obliterated him-poor guy. In all fairness while both Jenny and I were fine yesterday, we definitely felt it today after all that pushing against the current. Still we said, it was all totally worth it-We’d do it again in a heartbeat!

May 29, 2018

Just One More Hike

Another early morning was in store for us-Jenny’s choosing again. Our flight out of Vegas wasn’t until 4:00 so we had a majority of the day today to explore some more. There was another hike we were interested in doing, as well as a stop at Valley of Fire State Park, an hour outside of Vegas, and the topper for our vacation-a late lunch at In-N-Out! We planned our schedule down to the half hour so we could fit it all in but it required a 6:30 AM wake up and strict adherence to the times.

We decided on grabbing some breakfast at the lodge so we could make it through until our planned 2:00 meal. This took a bit longer than expected but we still were thinking we had plenty of time. Our hike today (can you believe we opted for another hike?), was to the Emerald Pools, billed in the hiking pamphlet as a leisurely family stroll.

The Lodge and the View

We hit the trailhead across from the lodge and quickly began a steady ascent. The views as we climbed were picturesque-we looked out to Angel’s Landing (we could already see the people on top and it was only 8:00 AM) and Observation Point, as well as the trail we came down on. We were laughing that if someone had pointed up to the top of Observation Point and then told us we were going to hike down from there in under two hours, we would have thought them crazy!

See the mountain in the back? That’s the trail across the ridge line and then down the right side.

The trail was certainly steeper than we had anticipated but as we neared the 3/4 mile point, we came upon the first pool. We pretty much had the place to ourselves and what a treat that was. The pool is fed from a spring that cascades down from the overhanging cliff above. The trail actually winds behind the waterfall as it plunged to the pool below. There was a decent stream of water today and one can only imagine how it might look with a high spring runoff. It’s hard to believe that you are actually in the midst of a desert when admiring scenes such as these.

 

Jenny Catching Water Drops

We continued around the pool to be met by several sets of steep sets, all carved from rock and all covered in a loose coating of the sand. Much of the red rock in Zion is Navajo Sandstone-a relatively soft sedimentary rock that breaks down fairly easily when any abrasion occurs, thus the sandy trails.

The middle of the Emerald Pools was a smaller pool being fed by a spring that ran gently from the base of the hill across the rock into the pool, until it overflowed as the waterfall we had just walked behind below. Jenny said the small ripples that had been carved into the rock look so perfect as to be man made-but I reminded her, it is Mother Nature though that does a superior job in creating the jewels of nature, not man; man merely draws inspiration from her and copies it.

The pool reflected the cliffs from way across the other side of the canyon just splendidly, while the sound of the trickling water created a zen like atmosphere that one could sit down and enjoy if not for having to adhere to a blasted schedule!

So, on to the upper pool we went but now the trail turned to mostly sand and there was no more shade to be had. We quickly heated up as we continued to hoof it up hill as we recognized our time was beginning to run thin. We made it to the top pool which was sitting directly at the base of an enormous rock wall and though was not quite as spectacular as we had hoped, it was serene nonetheless and we were the only ones there! Jenny spied a couple of frogs sunning themselves on the face of a rock which was entertaining to watch as we cooled ourselves in the shade for a short time.

 

Noticing the time, we realized we had to make haste and move like the wind to get back down to keep our planned departure time of 10:00. Twenty minutes later, we descended the 400 feet it had just taken us over an hour to climb (we stop for too many darn photos)!

We hopped in the car (about 25 minutes late-unexpected showers delayed us) and bid our adieus to Zion. Jenny said she thought Zion was the prettiest place she had been, outside of Patagonia-it’s difficult to not agree. Utah, she declared, is now her favorite state.

We gained an hour of time when we crossed into Nevada but it still left us tight on time. We turned into Valley of Fire with about 45 minutes of time to work with. We had pretty much figured it was going to be a drive thru viewing anyway as temperatures were in the high 90s. There was one spot Jenny had wanted to see and when we stopped into inquire with the ranger, he informed us it was an hour round trip with total exposure, no shade anywhere. That quickly sealed the deal and we opted to drive the scenic loop in our perfectly air conditioned car.

Having just spent four days in some of the most scenic and breathtaking red rock country anywhere, we knew Valley of Fire would not even be able to compare but it wouldn’t be fair to hold it to such judgement. Instead we found the uniqueness in its simpler, less formal formations. The rock reminded me of when I was a child at the beach, building sandcastles and after using a cup to build my castle walls, I would then take wet sand and dribble it on top to form the turrets. The red rock here was brilliant in color containing lots of small holes and caves which had been carved into it by the forces of wind and rain. From a far, Jenny said, they looked like cliff dwellings, but on a smaller scale-she was certainly correct. The hills had softer features, character if you will, that was neither grand nor majestic but intriguing instead. The really wild thing was the rock looked as though it had been plopped down with no rhyme or reason on this otherwise flat desert area.

We enjoyed our drive through the park and exited right on schedule! Billy found the nearest In-N-Out, where we concluded our vacation by indulging in a delicious cheese burger-yummy!

All three of us loved our trip. There’s nothing like the beauty of nature to bring peace and calm to your life. Days spent in the wonders of the natural world are like a resetting of body and soul. The sore aching muscles aren’t even a bother when they’ve come by exertions brought on by the challenges of trying to conquer nature. The famous author Edward Abbey once said, “Wilderness is not a luxury, but a necessity of the human spirit.” I think we couldn’t agree more!