Zion National Park was the highlight amongst highlights on this trip. The drive into Zion National Park was breathtaking in and of itself. You start off in Utah, which is already an amazing place that contains lush green covered mountain ridges in a variety of colors. You then begin to drive in a winding valley amongst these structures. The sun was setting, casting heavy rays of gold and red light on the already red tinted rock.
You then must enter a tunnel that runs through the stomach of Mt. Carmel. In the tunnel you will be greeted by flashes of blinding light that carry with it fantastic views but before you can take it all in, it is gone. I hypothesize that these cutouts in the tunnel wall were for a) some natural light to pour into the tunnel and b) if the tunnel caves in, there is an air source. But either way, it was like viewing an art gallery at high speed as you would see a hole in the rock and glimpse the valley but you are soon swallowed by the darkness. You emerge into the valley and must make your descent via a dozen or so switchbacks until you are on the forest floor.
That night we did some stargazing and night photography that I am really proud of. The next day, we woke up early and caught one of the first, but crowded buses into the park to hike the iconic Narrows. This is the most popular hike that Zion has to offer and is a very unique one. To start, you hike a mile on a trail that hugs the Virgin River (which we have to thank for the lush growth of life and the beautifully carved canyons of Zion). After that, you begin to walk in the Virgin River for as long as you want. That's the trail. You are walking in a river the entire time. Steep canyon walls line either side of you. You step through cascading waters of the clearest blue. It is truly a humbling experience.
More night photography took place that night as well.
The next morning was a morning I will never forget. We had to get my sister to Las Vegas by 4 so she could fly back to Pittsburgh. But my brother and I still had plans to do one last hike. A hike to rule all hikes.
Angel's Landing.
We woke up at 5:00 am, ate a quick breakfast of chocolate muffins and a lot of water, and rushed to the park to catch the first shuttle. We were lucky that we "rushed" because we just made it on the last shuttle bus and had to sit on the floor.
We spent the next thirty minutes sitting on the floor praying that our stop would come. It finally did and we hopped off and follow the large group of people that had the same idea as us. We all began to hike Angel's Landing. If you don't know what Angel's Landing is, you will soon find out. But it is a 2.5 mile hike with the last 0.5 mile being a tiny trail, uphill, with a 1,000+ feet down on either side and only a single steel chain there for you to grasp on to.
Keep in mind, I'm afraid of heights.
It started off pretty easy. The sun hadn't peeked out begin the mountains and the air was cool. The hike started to gain in incline and we begin achieve some height by meeting some switchbacks. We entered a short valley and came face to face with a dozen or so switchbacks back-to-back. That's a lot of "backs".
Once we did that we had ascended to Scout's Overlook, which is essentially the spot before you start the last 0.5 mile hike.
Now you begin to research Angel's Landing or type in "Angel's Landing" on Google, you will most likely run into "deaths" as an additional keywords. People have died, yes. But it was relatively doable and especially in temperature and time of day we did it. So if you do it: drink lots of water, eat food, get up early, avoid the heat, and don't be stupid.
With that said, fear had disappeared from my mind and chest and now I was feeling excitement for the top, which we soon summited after 30 minutes of careful hiking and some stopping to take it in.
I won't write too much about the summit because seeing it will describe it better.
So enjoy and go to Zion if you are ever able to. It will change your life and it will open your eyes to the beautiful world that we live in.
I was just really feeling this song during this portion of the trip.
(Above): There should be a sign here that reads: "Entering Zion. Prepare your minds".
(Above): Round the bend and into the night.
(Above): Dad posing for a picture facing Mt. Carmel tunnel. A car came soon after.
(Above): Tunnel vision with a long exposure of a car exiting the Mt. Carmel tunnel at night.
(Above): This is a big-horned goat and believe it or not, they have veterinarian specialists for this animal.
(Above): Best lunch location yet.
(Above): The view we climbed to see.
(Above): Beware, they will burrow through your bags for food.