August 30, 2006
Zion must be one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. If you have not gone, you must go, and if you have been already you should go again! I stayed in a nice campground just outside the national park, across the street from the Spotted Dog cafe. At the end of August the temperature was ideal and there was hardly anybody there. I had no problem getting a spot and nearly had the campground to myself. The campground is great, and I'd definitely recommend it. They had showers, grassy spots with shade and access to the river.

Zion is too enormous to see all in one day... or even a couple weeks. I had just one day and wanted to make the most of it, so I did 2 of the most popular trails: Angels Landing and Narrows Wall Street.

I headed off to Angels Landing first thing in the morning and was on the trail by 8 am or so. The hike was predicted to take about 4-5 hours and is 2.5 miles with a high difficulty rating. Surprisingly much of the trail was paved. I can only imagine how strenuous it must have been to haul up all that material and then have to lay it!

The path gets progressively steeper until reaching a clearing half-way up... then the hard part starts. The rest of the trail is actually a rock climb. Thankfully chains had been anchored into the rock to help climbers. Much of the rock was naturally step-like, but in many places additional steps were carved out of the stone. This hike is certainly not for the faint of heart, and the majority of people turn back once they see what is required. At times you are literally at the edge of a half mile, vertical cliff with nothing holding you up except the chain (which you are grasping to for life) and some precarious footholds. At the top there is a spectacular view of much of the canyon.

When I had reached the top I met some other guys, Joe and Jeremy whom I chatted with for a bit and we took each other's pictures. Not too many people were making it to the top, and we had an early start so it was pretty quiet up there. Coming down was easier than going up and probably took half the time. I think I did the whole hike in under 4 hours, but I wasn't really keeping track.

I was pretty exhausted from the hike, but really wanted to see the narrows. As I was getting on the bus to get to the next stop, I saw Joe and Jeremy just coming down. Jeremy had to return to camp, but Joe and I went along to the narrows. He, like myself, was there for just one day and was attempting the same trails so we decided to do the next hike together. When Joe and I met it seemed that we instantly developed a friendship. It's hard to quantify in words, but there are certain people you meet in your life where you feel like you already know them. Throughout the rest of the day we talked quite a bit. I learned that he is a minister and relocating to San Diego. We discussed religion and spirituality quite a bit, since it is a topic that I am also very interested in.

The narrows was a great choice to follow Angels Landing. You basically walk up the river through the canyon and it was great to be in the water and shade in the heat of the day. It is a bit difficult since the rocks are very slippery and you are walking against the current. Most people use walking sticks to keep their balance. I didn't use a stick, but managed not to fall. We walked up about 3 miles to the place called Wall Street, where the canyon walls get as narrow as maybe 40 feet. There are some amazing views along the way too. By the time we returned my legs and feet were beyond exhaustion. I was sore for many days afterward, but it was totally worth it.

Later that evening, to celebrate my productive day and relax a bit, I had dinner at the Spotted Dog, which Aunt Carol and Uncle Tom had recommended. Just after I ordered, I saw Joe walk into the restaurant. It was a funny coincidence I thought and invited him to join me. It was a great finale to a long day.