Hello all!
Sorry for the long gap between posts, but Internet is hard to find out here in the desert. Today, we are at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, using the wi-fi available in the public library here. The day's plan includes what should be a spectacular evening hike into the canyon. We've got our flashlights and our headlamps ready to climb out; look for more on that later.
What have we done for the last week? Uhh...let's see. Last Wednesday we camped at Bryce Canyon National Park, which is essentially an amphitheater of huge red rock spires jutting towards the sky. We didn't spend a great deal of time there, as we wanted to have as much time as possible at Zion National Park, my personal favorite of the parks.
We arrived at Zion thursday morning and promptly set up camp. To access Zion Canyon, visitors have to board a free shuttle bus that runs throughout the day. We took the bus up into the canyon and hiked to Weeping Rock - a huge sandstone slab that literally weeps (rain falls on top of the plateau, and works its way down through the rock until it comes cascading out in a waterfall). The water that poured out of the sandstone had fallen on the plateau above 800 years ago. That's how long it takes to get through the sandstone - way cool stuff.
That night we had dinner with my father who happened to be in the same neck of the woods on vacation. After dinner, we made smores back at camp and got ready for our big hike the next day.
On Friday morning, Lizzie and I decided to go hiking. We picked a "strenuous" hike out of the hiking guide that led to Angel's Landing, that was described as having "steep, narrow sections with long drop-offs on both sides. Not for those uncertain of heights". We figured that it couldn't possibly be that bad....well....it WAS that bad. The trail started easily enough - it was paved for the first two miles, up a long series of winding switchbacks. This was tough uphill climbing, but not particularly scary...
Then stuff got SERIOUS. The switchbacks deposited us at Scout's Lookout, a viewing platform that looked straight ahead at Angel's Landing. The trail to reach the top of Angel's Landing climbed at a 45 degree angle up a very narrow ridge that looked impossible to climb. Lizzie being fearless, she led the climb up the ridge for many sections. Some sections of the path were only two feet wide, with 800 foot drop-offs on both sides. Some of these sections had a chain to hold on to for support; many did not. There were many moments were I simply clutched the rock and whimpered, with Lizzie prodding me onwards.
After what seemed like a death-defying eternity, we reached the top where I kissed the ground. The view down the canyon from the top of this cliff was truly one of the most unbelievable sights I have witnessed. SO worth it, despite my terror. Amazingly enough, the hike down did not scare me at all, although Lizzie was not too pleased with the huge vertical drop-offs.
Saturday we spent a fairly relaxed day at camp, although Cayli and I did a night hike to the Emerald Pools, a series of freshwater springs cut into a cliff face. Although a beautiful hike, it was significantly less scary than the Angel's Landing hike.
And then there was the Fourth of July. But that requires a blog post all of its own.
Love and peace from the road,
Tom
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