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Published: July 25th 2012
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A brief, yet longer than enough, weekend in Vegas, and we were back on the road, on our way to the Grand Canyon. Similar to our arrival in Yosemite, we entered the park with no camping reservations and only hopes and intentions to sleep under a starry night on the edge of this famous crack in the earth. Unlike Yosemite, the Grand Canyon was not so cooperative, and upon arrival, we were told to hurry to South Camp, a nearly one hour drive towards the South Rim's east exit to perhaps get one of the last spots. After the last few hours of driving through the desert, we weren't quite ready to rush back into the car, and already being in the latter half of the day, we decided to forgo our hopes of camping and figure out where we would spend the night later.
We stopped at the Visitor Center, our national park routine, for some counsel on how to spend the rest of our day in the park, and this was when I began to realize that some of the happiest people in America are the park rangers in our national parks. This trend followed suit through every
park we found ourselves in. Always polite and enthusiastic. Smiling, welcoming, gracious. Perhaps it was no more than a coincidence, but every park ranger we spoke to truly seemed to love their job.
With our feet still quite literally raw from our hike in Yosemite, nor the desire to deal with much elevation change, we chose the Rim Trail to be our path of exposure for the day. The Rim Trail, aside from the engulfing ever present heat, was a leisurely stroll along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Paved for much of its 12 miles, it hugs the very edge of the canyon cliffs, so that with each wriggle of the trail, a different view into the depths of the canyon and its carving force, the Colorado River, can be witnessed.
The canyon itself is magnificent. For me personally, when I see such geologic formations, I feel as though I am looking back in time. I find myself thinking equally as much about how these areas used to be shaped and inhabited as how they look at this moment in spacetime... and I love being in a place that takes my mind in that direction. The
canyon is so friggen big, it's dizzying. Literally. The other side of the canyon and the Colorado River below are so far off that the depth perspectives melt away entirely. Can I spit into the river below? Can I walk to the bottom of the canyon in a few hours? A few weeks? For me, there was zero gauge of this.
We spent a few hours meandering this walk, grateful for the few specks of shade along the way. While we know that hikes descending into the depths of the canyon and river rides between its great walls are supposed to be some of the best experiences in the Southwest, for us those adventures must await a future visit. The stroll along the canyon rim would have to suffice and we felt it did, all things considered. Without punishing our bodies, we were able to get a flavor of this famous park, but without a place to sleep for the night, and so as to avoid a similar problem the following day when we planned to camp in Zion National Park, we departed the Grand Canyon to continue on the road.
This drive was one of the most
picturesque of our trip. As we exited the park, the canyon gradually became narrower and less deep as we headed towards the canyon's point of beginning... or end. Shortly after leaving the park, the first red rock hills sprung from the earth, lining the highway on one side. The setting sun made the colors pop with reds of all shades and also casted shadows displaying the cracks, curves, and crevices that danced across the stone. Streaks of grays and whites accented the hills where mother nature saw fit. Shortly after sunset we drove past Lake Powell, which shimmered a deep purplish blue in the twilight. Thunderstorms in the eastern sky hung ominously and beautifully pink, purple and blue. The three and half hour drive from Grand Canyon to Kanab (a gateway town to the east of Zion National Park) was a breeze and one of the most beautiful drives we experienced.
We left Kanab early the following morning and shortly thereafter we entered Zion National Park. It was like the prior night's drive on steroids. Reds, grays, whites striping the rising sides of Zion Canyon. Despite getting there early in the day, there were only a handful of first
come first serve campsites available and we gratefully claimed one for ourselves, to be our home for the following two nights. After registering our site and setting up our tent, we immediately walked to the visitor center to hop on the park's shuttle service which would take us to the trail head of Zion's famous Angel's Landing.
The trail, which ultimately reaches the top of a narrow finger that extends into the canyon, began with a long stretch of switchbacks ascending the canyon's western wall. The hike was not technically challenging, nor a test of endurance, but the 105 degree heat and constant sun exposure pushed us hard. After a brief stretch of shaded relief as the trail ran through a slit in the mountainside, the climb towards the sun began again, but this time on a narrow ridge. Chains embedded in the sandstone provided necessary leverage and safety as the trail became more precarious with every step. One last push and the trail leveled off on a precipice with a few thousand foot drop just a few feet to each side. To all the Kauaians and Kauai visitors we had over the years, this trail very much reminded
me of the Ditch Trail. Beneath us to the south we looked out over the canyon in the direction from where we had come, to the north, the canyon bended and grew more narrow. A good start to Zion.
The night in the park was spectacular. The temperatures dropped to comfortable levels. Crystal clear skies and a bright streaking milky way reminded us of Kauai nights. We slept well, gratified from Angel's Landing and excited for the next day's undertaking.
The following morning, we checked the most current weather forecast at the visitor center before catching the shuttle to the doorstep of the The Narrows. Just a small amount of rain can create a flash flood in the slot canyons of the Southwest. The Narrows is a hike that, for most, takes you up the Virgin River and into Zion's slot canyon where the walls of the canyon close in on widths of 30 feet. The smooth, sheer walls shoot straight up, towering above. While the entire hike is 16 miles, the most popular day hike through the Narrows involves a few hours up the canyon and back. This was our route as well. Within the first 50
steps of this hike, you are walking directly through the river. With flow rates as they were during our visit, our deepest steps came about belly high. The hike was so unique for both of us, unlike anything either of as had ever experienced before. Unlike the previous day's hike where there was nothing but air and expansive views in all directions, the Narrows offered us a more in your face beauty with rock and water bearing down on us.
Zion was epic, and another spot that needs more than two days. After one more night under Zion's star filled sky, east we continued...
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John E
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Eric - your commentary is outstanding - really makes it fun to read. Our offer went in on the Nihilani condo yesterday. they have 48 hours to respond and it appears they are using every hour available to them. We have heard nothing back.