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Slick Rock Detail
This was the landscape beginning our hike into 'The Subway'.Leaving Flagstaff we crossed massive dams and barren dessert landscapes. Traveling from northern Arizona into Southwestern Utah, we landed in Zion National Park.
Zion. How do you explain Zion? You don’t. You go see Zion. So I’ll do my best but you must
visit this place. The Grand Canyon rocked my world, but I’ve never seen or known of anything like Zion.
Imagine swirly, fast moving, deep water. Then imagine it frozen in time – not as ice, but as though you could stop a crashing wave for one moment and get a good look at its detail. You might notice the lines, where they are parallel and where they cross. You see round, rolling, globe like waves and sharp jagged ones. Maybe some look to be in unison and some fight and crash against each other.
Welcome to Zion.
This is what its stone mountain formations look like. Each one different from the next but equally as brilliant in detail. A true wonder of nature. It blew me away.
Entering from the east you drive through a 1.1 mile long tunnel, blasted through a mountain which exits
Angel's Landing Chains
At least 3 points of contact. :)
Matt hiking back down. with high canyons surrounding you, almost engulfing you. Zig-zaging further into the canyons we found our campsite and spent four days hiking, bathing, and exploring the National Park.
The popular ‘Angel’s Landing’ hike climbs to peaks that often drop steeply on either side. The trail provides chains and rails to hold on to and has signs warning you of potential death. It’s a trip, to say the least, but the views and adventure were a great introduction to the park.
In Zion, bright dessert flowers and other flora, (different than what we saw at the GC) line the trails and cover the terrain. We enjoyed the refreshing cold water one hot afternoon…the same water that continues to carve the canyon today. There are canyons that have been carved for so long that the walls can reach thousands of feet above you. We walked/ waded into ‘The Narrows’- a popular section that can only be reached by trudging through water which can sometimes be well above waist high, and was not warm. The height of the water through the narrows greatly depends on the season and the year. It was very high when we visited
Angel's Landing Hike to its Peak
This narrow stretch led to the top of Angel's Landing and had holding chains the entire way up. and we didn’t have dry gear on so we only ventured a short way in.
The most spectacular day was an 11-mile hike through a section called ‘The Subway’. We rented dry suits and shoes and geared up for rappels- the only way to get through this canyon. We hiked a couple of miles on slick rock to reach the entrance of the canyon. A large pool of water welcomes you, and here is where we prepared for the hike.
Dry gear on, we found our way through the pool and to our first rappel. There were 4 rappels in all, averaging only 15-20 feet, but two of them descend directly into water- freezing cold water- which I understood quite fast since my dry suit quickly became a wet suit (it had a leak).
The canyon was beautiful and ever changing. It’s fascinating to study its design and realize that water has formed its shape, which continuously changes as you work your way through the canyon. Some wide sections were covered in a couple inches of water; other areas were narrow with water continuing to carve a very distinct section that
Further in The Narrows
The water got much deeper just behind us. I couldn't feel my feet at this point! could become deeper than I am tall. We swam a good bit and submerged all but the tips of our heads at one point.
The colors alone were something to marvel at. The bright green pools of water, contrasting reds and browns of the canyon walls, blue skies and stark white sandy sections, all combined to give my neck a good workout as I turned left and right to soak it all in. We found small camouflaged toads bathing in the sunlight on some canyon walls that jumped into the water if we got too close.
The last rappel brought us into a section where the canyon opened up to a valley below. We followed the water for another few miles, scrambling over boulders and through water before reaching the end of our trail…a sharp 600 foot climb up and out of the valley. A harsh ending but every bit worth the experience.
I could have easily stayed in Zion, but knowing our time has a limit and a destination must be made (a Seattle flight- booked to bring us back to the east coast 3 weeks later), we moved on
Crazy Zion Formations!
Just one example of the beautiful detail found in Zion's formations. to experience much more of Utah.
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Mom
non-member comment
WOW! What incredible pictures and a well-descriptive adventure. I would love a few 4 x 6 pictures - one of both of you (further in the Narrows) and one with you in the water (entering the narrows) with such a beautiful background of color? Perhaps a xmas gift? LEt us know how you are doing and if you hear anything?