Day 18-A Less Stressful Day Off

Day off in Zion National Park

The day did not exactly begin as planned. We woke up a little later than expected, but it felt so good to sleep that nobody really cared. We ate breakfast and headed off to hike the Narrows rather than Angel's Landing as originally planned as we had received some more convincing advice on the order of which to do things.

The Narrows was absolutely gorgeous. It began on a mile-long paved trail, leading to a point where we were forced to hike through the river itself, sometimes wading through water knee-deep. The water got deeper as well, but there were usually more shallow spots where you could walk. We had some shoes that looked like moon boots and hiking sticks that we rented from the town outside Zion. I am not sure how necessary they were but I suppose it was nice to have them. All in all, I absolutely loved the hike. I got many, many pictures and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

After hiking the Narrows, we went back into town to return our rented gear and eat some lunch/dinner. We at at a local diner called Blondie's which was excellent and we were all stuffed. We then headed back to the campsite and gathered our things to try and catch the sunset atop Angel's Landing.

The hike to Angel's Landing was much more challenging than expected. It was 2.5 miles long, and we gained 1,500 ft. in elevation. We conquered the trail in a mere 45 minutes as we were hauling to try to catch the sunset. It was so worth it. The last stretch before the final destination was rather frightening as it was all rock, with some chains to lead you and give you something to grab onto. We barely missed the sunset, but the view was incredible. We had a 360 degree view of the park from 1,500 ft. above the canyon floor. We were all in awe. I cannot even begin to try to explain how beautiful it was.

Coming down, the sun set quickly and it was dark for the last 2 miles of the trail. Mike and Rambeau had fun running ahead and jumping out at us to scare us as we hiked down, and we arrived just in time to catch the last shuttle to our campsite.

I have to say that Zion is by far the coolest national park I have ever visited. It is so unrestricted, you can hike wherever you like, and the park never closes. It was absolutely beautiful and I want to come back so I can spend a week or more exploring what the park has to offer. So far, this gets my vote for best stop of the trip.

Peace and Love,
Mountaineering Miggy