Zion

Zion National Park is not for people who are afraid of heights.  Makes you wonder why I came. Makes me wonder why I had asked my dear hubby, years ago, to push me out of my comfort zone. Because, darn it, he keeps doing it.

Most of the scenic roads and all of the campgrounds in Zion are at the bottom of the canyons. All of the hiking is done by climbing up into the canyon walls and along cliffs.

Granted, you can get some amazing views once you climb up those trails. Providing you can take your eyes off the rocks that are out to trip you up along the trail. Or at least, that was the way I perceived it. Actually, several of the trails are as wide as a sidewalk, and a few are even paved. It is like walking up the sidewalks of Manhattan, with the tall towers on both sides of you. Except that the streets of Manhattan aren’t many hundreds of feet below the sidewalk. That was my sticking point. I just couldn’t get over the drop if I stepped off the curb.

But there is beauty in abundance. Sheer cliffs in shades of red, yellow, and white. And a wide variety of trails to hike, although most of them caution drop offs, either minor or “long” – which means up to a thousand feet high or more – and a few that say not for those with a fear of heights, or for children. I'm sure I fit into one of those descriptions.

We were there for seven days, and went hiking a different route every single day. 

One of us even did the most challenging of all the approved hikes, Angel’s Landing.

This hike started out paved and mild, so I’m told, going gradually up into a slot canyon beside the Angel’s Landing peak. Then the trail came to “Walter’s Wiggles”, a series of hairpin turns, sidewalk style. At the top of this drunken walk was a landing area. 

Or a takeoff area, depending how you look at it. For after this brief respite, the trail follows the very narrow ridgeline up to the peak. On both sides, the ground falls away straight down for 2000’. The park allowed a chain to be erected as something to hold  onto during the steepest and narrowest sections. You’d better have a good grip. Obviously not on your sanity, or you wouldn’t be there in the first place. But that chain is your lifeline.

I’m told the view from up there is unsurpassed anywhere in the park, a 360 degrees view overlooking the whole Zion Canyon.

So be it. I will take their word for it. I’d be too busy worrying about how I was supposed to get back down.

The trails I did do usually took about 3 hours, and although they had their own challenges, they had their own stunning vistas as well. 

Towering peaks in brilliant shades, lush valleys halfway up the canyon walls, deep crevices in an otherwise sheer rock wall, unexpected arches and caves around corners.

The rock formations are the masterpieces of this natural art gallery. From subtle brush strokes to bold colours on the canvas of the hillsides. And sculptures on the cliffs created by wind and water.

In the middle of March, the temperatures are cool. Just below freezing at night, it does not warm up until after noon. The tall walls of the canyon keep the sun out until 10am or later. There were places that were so narrow that the sun didn’t get in directly, but was only reflected off the sheer canyon wall that was facing south. Not much heat in that, I’ll tell you. And by the time we got back to the trailer, exhausted and exhilarated with our trek, the sun was disappearing behind the mountain on the other side, and it was cool again.

That didn’t stop us from enjoying our walks. We dressed up warm, and ignored the college kids on March break doing the same trail in shorts and tees. We hiked up to overlooks. We followed river trails along the bottom of the canyon, crisscrossing the same stream numerous times. We dodged the water falling from a crevice above us that created a beautiful garden of maidenhair ferns right on the canyon wall. We had picnic lunches in safe places away from ledges and in the sunshine. We had a wonderful time.

We saw more wildlife than we had expected, especially because this is a very busy place. People are everywhere on the roads and the trails. But we saw several mule deer in the valley, a herd of bighorn sheep climbing the rocks, and a bald eagle high overhead.

On the way out of the park, we had to pass through a mile long tunnel that was bored right through granite rock in the ‘30s. Back then, they hadn’t dreamed that people would be driving these monstrous RVs on their visit here, so the tunnel is low and narrow compared to today’s standards. That means that park officials have to stand at each end to monitor the vehicles going through. If you are over a certain height or width, they clear the tunnel so that you can drive straight through the middle. There are even some luxury motorhomes that just don’t fit at all and are denied passage. There are also absolutely no lights in the tunnel. Along the mile length, they were only able to cut 3 windows into the rock, and other than your headlights, that is all the light that you can get.

It was an amazing week in an incredible place.

Thanks for the push, hubby.

W