http://andystravelblog.boardingarea.com/2016/08/10/day-trip-zion-national-park/#comment-165624
We followed his lead. We rented an Audi A4 from Silvercar. Picked up the car at 6:30am and dropped it off at 10pm. Total cost was $99 for the day. Came with Sirius XM and GPS. Picked up some on the go breakfast and drove through the desert mountains. Amazing views!
Wide open roads with 75 mph speed limits! Everything was going great until we hit a traffic jam??? We could see ahead of us. Traffic was directed off the highway down an exit ramp then back onto the highway up the entrance ramp.I couldn't see any vehicles wrecked but the cops had the highway shutdown here. Once we got going up the entrance ramp is where we saw the shoe. Then the insides of a person spread out over the roadway. I blame my profession for my ,"Whoa! Lets take a picture!" response.
see the black shoe on the road? just ahead of it is the insides of a person
Never saw a head or arms, but I knew what happened. Just a few yards up, the police were talking to the semi driver. The bumper was missing. The news later reported a suspected burglar had been struck on the highway. Gruesome! Crazy way to end it. Wild way to start our adventure.
Driving through the mountains was incredibly fun. The views were just amazing. We passed through Nevada into Arizona and then into Utah. The drive was easy. The time change was weird and messed with our heads a little. Flying from Dayton to Las Vegas changes the time 3 hours back. Then crossing into Utah the time jumped back up an hour. One great thing about this adventure was we weren't in any hurry. We had no time limits or appointments. We were incredibly close to the park when we found the Majestic View restaurant. This was our first view of Zion National Park.
We almost got hit by a truck because we were mesmerized by the views.
we ate at the center tableWe met a couple from Canada who were raving about British Columbia and the scenery there. Good to know since that's where our next adventure takes us in July 2018! Lunch was tasty, but we were dying to get outside!
We drove through this little mountain town and had to park out in town because the "in the park" parking was full.
We walked into the park and found the shuttle. The shuttle takes people to 9 different stops in the park. The shuttle speakers said the Angel's Landing trail was "strenuous" and has had deaths. This may have worried Brittney a little. We got off the shuttle at The Grotto.
We started up the path towards Angel's Landing. This trail gains 1500 ft of elevation in about 2.5 miles. There's some steep inclines going up this trail. Brittney admitted she didn't look over the info I had sent her. This was not what she thought we were getting into. To be honest, I didn't realize this was as tough as it was. I'm glad I didn't research this more or we may not have tried it. I certainly would not suggest this hike 2 days before a marathon! But here we were. My child hood dream of getting to explore was beaming into real life!
just starting up the trail
the high cliff on left is where we were headedUp the trail and out we went. The views were just incredible. Seeing a tree growing on the side of the mountain was unique. Watching the river get smaller as higher up we went.
there were steep partsThen we hit The Wiggles.
(not my picture: but accurate)
I liked The Wiggles!You just keep winding your way up The Wiggles. Path was wide enough for 2 people. There were all kinds of people on this path. Some people going fast, some taking their time. This was fun. I was smiling from ear to ear. Heart rate was up, calves were feeling the incline. The trail consisted of sand, dirt, and concrete. I was having a blast. Once up The Wiggles, we wound around to Scout's Landing. There was a lot of people taking in the breath taking views, relaxing or reading.
Rock squirrels were friendly and cute.
This was a great rest stop. This is also a decision point for a lot of people. The question asked is, "Should I go forward or just go back?" Brittney and I called the next portion, "The chains".
Because here is the start of risky danger fun. The park has bolted thick chains into the rock to hold
onto. The rock is uneven and steep.
last hiker to fall to his death here was March 2017!
You have to watch every step you take. No step is like the step before. You are working to get up this part. One chain may be vertical and the next is horizontal.
most of the time we were about 2 feet from the edge
I snuck a tool out of my endurance training..a mantra...I said out loud repeatedly.."I am a mountain goat." I could focus on my mantra and continuing forward without getting overly nervous. As we were working over this part, Brittney unfortunately made a mistake that anyone with a fear of heights shouldn't make here... she looked DOWN. She realized how high up we were and the side of the cliff is within feet of you. There's a few sections where you have no room for error. We got to a section where you could sit on the rock. Brittney suffered a mild panic attack. She started crying as she was almost paralyzed from fear. I calmed her down and assured her she didn't have to go any further. I also promised I could get her back down ALIVE. People were coming and going past us. One guy and 2 girls decided to take a break at the same spot we were in. The guy admitted he had, in his words, "chickened out" his first 2 trips to Angel's Landing. After a short talk, I asked if they would stay with Brittney so I could see the next landing point. Others told us there was a great viewpoint just a few feet up. The others said they'd stay with Britt while I checked out the next spot. I continued up and found this view..
Another guy tried to talk me into going all the way up to Angel's Landing. The path becomes more dangerous and as I've since learned, is called the "death zone". The trail goes down and then curls up to get to Angel's Landing.
the path continued toward the tree closest here, then UP! Angel's Landing is the TOP of this peak
This section wasn't overly long, but takes a while to cover due to terrain and possibility of falling over either side of the cliff. . This is the place where hikers have fallen to their death. There were plenty of people going all the way up the day we were there. I wanted to keep going, I was so close. I also knew that leaving Brittney where she was for too long was a bad idea. The view I got here was great enough. I made my way back down and made sure Brittney was in the right mindset to get down. She told me that some jerk had said, "6 people a year die right here in this very spot." She was scared, but I was so proud of her. She stared FEAR in the EYE and conquered it. She listened to me as I explained which steps I was taking and where to hold the chain. We took our time and let people pass by us.
I took a pic of Britt as she was almost down from "the chains."
She breathed a huge sigh of relief once on solid flatter ground. Brittney was upset with herself but I assured her it was an adventure I was thrilled to enjoy with her. About an hour or so later, what she accomplished finally set in and she accepted the fact that it took more courage for her to make it where she did and get down then it does for most people. This was a trip some people will never get the chance to see. Going up "the chains" is a choice some can't make. We love a challenge, and this challenge was one we never prepared for. We aren't seasoned hikers. We just went for adventure, and boy did we find it! Getting all the way up to Angel's Landing is now on my bucket list. Brittney will have to decide later if it's a goal for her to go farther or not. I will make it there, maybe not this year or next, but I will get there. This just gives us a reason to go back!
going back down The Wiggles
stunning views!As we made our way back down the path, You would've thought I was a kid at Christmas. My brain was stimulated and I felt ALIVE. This was LIVING LIFE. We took some pics and just enjoyed the scenery. We were almost back to the trailhead when another hiker gave us the "quiet" signal
maybe 10 feet off the trail, a deer was grazing on the trees.
Nature is gorgeous. After almost 5 miles of hiking, we decide we have enough energy left in the tank to go see the Emerald Pools. It was a mile away. Back over rocks
and through sand we went.
We saw all 3 "pools." In my opinion, 2 of the "pools" weren't very impressive. Almost large puddles. There was natural water running along the rock that was pretty. Then we found the bigger pool.
In the middle of all this canyon, this was neat. I went around and over the bigger rocks just to get a different view. I slipped and almost busted my butt. We took an extended break here. Just enjoyed God's grace and beauty. Simply amazing. We made our way back and joined a brother and sister team who were out hiking as well. We all talked on the way back and before we knew it, we were back to the shuttle stop.
We were exhausted. But the run streak doesn't care if you are exhausted, or if you hiked around 8 miles. It only cares if you ran at least a mile that day. So back to the car where I changed shoes. Brittney ran with me. We went out a half mile, encountered 2 deer, then ran back to our car. My first mile ran in Utah! We left the park and stopped at
Excellent ribs and service! I normally don't drink anything but water. I had a 3 hour drive to make and it was dark out! I drank more Mountain Dew at dinner than I've had in a year. We Facetimed our daughters and back to Vegas we went. Stopped at a store and a local ice cream place in the outer neighborhood of Vegas. Returned our car and got an Uber back to our hotel.
This was my absolute favorite part of our trip. Just to be away from cell phones and work. To discover, touch, and be apart of nature filled my soul with joy. To watch my beautiful wife fight her fear and trust me to help her. This is a trip we will never forget. I highly recommend going to Zion! Whether you take Angel's Landing trail or a different trail. Whether you decide to tackle "the chains" or stop at Scout's Landing...go see what this beautiful country has to offer. It's truly amazing.
Angel's Landing...be ready...I'm coming for you
No comments:
Post a Comment