Zion National Park, Angels Landing

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Four months ago I put my name in for the lottery to hike “The Wave”, (I’ll tell you more about this on that post). Anyway, one of the three dates I submitted were picked and I secured my place. Yesterday I flew into St. George, Utah, rented a Jeep and made my way east through Zion National Park. The entrance fee for the park is $25, the sights seen are well worth the price of admission. I was planning on just driving through this park making my way to Kanab, UT where I am based out of for the next two days. The scenic drive is incredible, words can’t do it justice. I ended up making several stops to pull off and take photos. The winding road and awe inspiring scenery forces one to keep their speed limit low. There are great views of the unique landscape the entire way. A tunnel bore in 1903 cuts through the mountain, unlit it makes for a bit of a nerve wracking experience. The park is only about eight miles wide but the winding road takes much longer than the mileage would suggest.

After making it the rest of the way and into Kanab it was still relatively early, so I decided to drive the 45 minutes east to find the trailhead that I will be taking in a few days. Nothing of real interest, just a drive down a pretty crappy unpaved road to the entrance of a few trails. I talked to a couple who had just returned from their hike, nothing major just some small talk. After using the restroom I hopped back into the Jeep and took off to check into the seedy little motel room I had booked in Kanab.

I showered up and decided to go find some food, I picked Charlie’s Oasis. It claims to be a sports bar. With two tvs and a bar that is just a bar, no booze behind it and they only serve beer, I don’t know that they really qualify. Anyway, the LSU vs. Bama game was starting so I ordered a burger and couple of beers. The only other people in there, save the cook, the proprietor and Charlie, (the namesake of this oasis, he is less than one year old. It has only been open since April I found out.), were a father and son from Madison, WI. Those of you who follow me on Facebook recognize that I spend a significant amount of time in Wisconsin, in fact I was just there two days ago; so we had a ton to talk about. False, these two were a bit off, to put it nicely. Even small talk was awkward with these two, and they knew nothing about football so that subject was off limits. Instead I listened to them talk about hiking, and finding a room for the night due to the weather. Riveting. I finished my second beer, paid, and headed back to my room to finish watching the game.

Starting a day of travel out at 3:30 am does not lend itself to a late night, I ended up falling asleep with the game on. What that did help with was me getting an early start to this morning. I had three things I was weighing. Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, and White Pocket. I decided that Zion National Park, in particular Angels Landing sounded like a great way to go. I was up at 5:00am with the time change, showered packed and on the road by 6:00. I was the first one to start on the trail, it was still dark, I don’t blame anyone for not being there that effing early.

I was warned about the strenuous hike that Angels Landing offered. (I am sure there is a wiki you can find on it.) There is a warning that shows how many people have died this year on it. Perfect! I thought. "The route to Angels Landing involves travel along a steep, narrow ridge with support chains anchored intermittently along the route. Footing can be slippery even when the rock is dry. Unevenly surfaced steps are cut into the rock with major cliff dropoffs adjacent. Keep off when it is wet, icy or thunderstorms are in the area. Plan to be off before dark. Younger children should skip this trail; older children must be closely supervised.” -Angels Landing Trail Information The first section of trail is not so bad. Not too steep, the river is running by on the right hand side, and gorgeous views to boot; I even happened upon six deer just chilling out and eating, it took me walking to within about 20 feet before they bounded away. The second section is where things started to get a little bit tougher, by the time I reached scouts landing my heart rate was significantly elevated and I was ready for a break; so I took out a few pieces of jerky and took a couple solid gulps off of my camelpak. The third portion of this climb is the one you need to worry about. There are chains anchored into the rock for one to grab onto to prevent them from plummeting a thousand feet to their death. I am an idiot however, I have my tripod in one hand and my camera around my neck, and decide to only use my one free hand. Until the very last portion, as that part gets really freaking steep. The views are amazing and worth it. I was able to just sit and relax by myself for a while, I let the stresses of work get carried off by the wind and after a few minutes I felt rejuvenated and ready to make the two and a half mile hike back down.

The first people I saw that day were just starting on the chain portion. I wouldn’t see another group until near the bottom. The most frequently asked question I got was, “Already been up?” To which I’d reply “yep, enjoy it.” I’d get a dumbfounded look. The whole hike is estimated at four hours. I finished in just under three. These Xtreme Training classes are working. With the quick finish and no real desire to start a second hike anytime soon I elected to drive back through Kanab and onto either the Toadstools or White Pocket.

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Photos

Warning
This is the sign that said "X number of people have died this year."

Edge of the cliff
This is from the third portion of the climb

Chains
The chains attached to the rock.

Comments

[Utahs Best]

Utah's Subway
Zion's is one of my favorite places to visit, full of beauty and adventure. My favorite places to visit in Zion's is the Subway hike, it's a little out of the way and in the back country but definitely worth any extra effort it takes to get there. To find out more visit http://utahexperienced.blogspot.com/2012/09/subway-not-footlongs.html#!/2012/09/subway-not-footlongs.html