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Published: September 27th 2008
Thanks to the old fart in the next campsite abruptly putting an end to our night, I was able to get a full night's rest in my tent. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Kevin. Unable to sleep, he apparently got out of his tent in the middle of the night and was spinning around. That morning when we went to the bathroom, he went into a stall and proceeded to vomit the contents of his entire stomach. I had never in my life, heard so much vomit hit the toilet water! The effects of too much tequila rears it's ugly head again. I tried to control my laughter as much as possible knowing that he would start to feel better once all of that was out of his system. That morning, we were both moving in slow motion and were somewhat lethargic. It wasn't until around 1pm that we finally left our campsite to hike up Angel's Landing.
While walking to the shuttle bus at the Visitor's Center, I realized that walking on my left foot was starting to be really painful. All of the walking over river rocks the day before must have taken
a bad toll on my foot. We got off the shuttle on the 5th stop called "The Grotto" and immediately made our way over to the Angel's Landing Trail. The entire hike would be 5 miles round trip with an elevation gain of about 1,500 feet. The trail is categorized as "strenuous" and 4 hours is recommended to complete it round trip. With my foot starting to really limit my movement, I was starting to think I would be lucky to complete it by sundown. The first half hour on the trail was extremely difficult for me. Not only were we hiking uphill but some parts of the trail were pure sand which needed more energy and effort to hike on. As if dealing with a painful foot wasn't bad enough, my left knee was also starting to bother me to the point where bending it was quite painful. Thankfully, Kevin was a really good hiking partner. When I needed to stop to catch my breath or drink some water, he stopped as well. He told me that even if it takes all day, he would stay with me to ensure that I make it to the top. Some parts
Angel's Landing
A strenuous 5 mile round trip hike with an elevation gain of 1,488 feet.of the trail were getting quite steep and I had to constantly stop to take a breather. I was getting close to just throwing in the towel as my bad foot, knee, and out of shape status was starting to catch up to me. We eventually made it to a spot called Walter's Wiggles which was a series of 21 very steep switchbacks. Climbing these switchbacks was very grueling but eventually I made it to the top to a spot called Scout's Lookout.
Scout's Lookout was the point where most hikers decide to stop once they saw what lay ahead. The rest of Angel's Landing Trail was hiking along the narrow spine of the mountain and is definitely not recommended for those afraid of heights. We hung out at Scout's Landing for a little while to catch our breath and soak in some of the views. Like yesterday, it seemed that many of the people up here were European tourists and we even me some guys from the Czech Republic. Back on the trail, the hardest part was still left to go. The remainder of the trail was climbing and scrambling over boulders with the help of guard
Zion Canyon
Looking back down the canyon from the Angel's Landing Trail rails and chains. Some parts of the trail were no more than a few feet wide with a 2,000 feet drop on both sides. It wasn't as strenuous as the first part of the trail. Since we were climbing over boulders, it was much more slow going and many times we had to stop to let others pass. Eventually, I told Kevin to just meet me at the top as I was going much slower than him. I didn't want to hurry just to keep up with him. I just wanted to do everything at my own pace. Once I made it to the top, a feeling of relief and accomplishment came over me. I still couldn't believe that despite all my injuries and being out of shape, I was still able to make it to the top! I met Kevin up at the final viewpoint where he had already spent 20 minutes soaking up the view. A stunning 360 degree view of the surrounding canyon was the reward after such an arduous hike. For almost an hour, we just sat there eating the sandwiches we brought, warding off the friendly chipmunks, and drinking our celebratory beers. All while enjoying
the awesome view. The hike back down to Scout's Landing was much more slower paced than it was going up. More caution was needed while scrambling down the boulders. On the way down, we ran into 2 guys from Austria who had just spent the last 2 days climbing up the side of Angel's Landing. Back at the campsite, we just relaxed and grilled hamburgers. Being so far from any sizeable city, the night sky was brightly lit with thousands of stars which due to the lack of light pollution were clearly visible here at Zion.
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