Oh Zion, Dear Zion

Eric and I have been DYING to hike for all of May, but between the weather and our crazy schedules, we haven't been able to get up to the mountains.  The tops of the mountains are still snowy so we decided to head to Zions so we could get some good hikes in before the month was out!  We set out Friday after work and drove to the Zion Ponderosa campground.  We got there and the General Manager, Michael, showed us to our campsite.  He was so nice.  We talked with him several times throughout our stay.  We pitched our tent, put up our cots, and went straight to bed.

Saturday morning we slept in a bit and then headed into the park.  We went in through the East Entrance and drove through the park to get to the Visitors Center.  It was a gorgeous drive.  I haven't been to Zion's since I was 5 or 6 and Eric had never been.  We knew it was going to be beautiful, but it was stunning.  Once we got to the Visitors Center, we hopped on a shuttle and went to the base of Angels Landing.

Angels Landing has been on our dream hike list for a while and it did not disappoint.  It was an incredibly strenuous hike.  It's only 2 1/2 miles but there is a 1,500-foot elevation gain.  The first portion of the hike was completely sun-exposed.  We were so hot by the time we finished that section.  We then entered Refrigerator Canyon which was a nice reprieve.  There was a cool breeze and we were in the shade for a while.   We then made it to Walter's Wiggles which is a series of very steep switchbacks.  We made it to the top of the switchbacks without stopping.  I was very proud of us.  At this point, we only had 1/2 mile to go, but it's across the Narrow Spine with 1,000-foot drops on both sides.  It's very safe and we were never very close to the edge, but I was very grateful for a chain to hold onto.  We finally made it to the top and the view was gorgeous.  We absolutely loved it.  The trek down was just as difficult as coming up, but this is one of my very favorite hikes we have done.  It was great.

The spine

Don't look down

We made it!

If we were to do this hike again I would want to do it first thing in the morning - probably before 8:00.  We started around 10:30 this time and we had shade for most of Refrigerator Canyon and Walter's Wiggles, but the first section was unbearably hot.  Coming down we had less shade through Refrigerator Canyon and no shade in Walter's Wiggles.  I would also bring a Chilly Pad to help keep us cool during the hike and a PB&J sandwich to eat at the end of the hike for quick energy.  We had deli sandwich meat in our cooler, but we didn't want to go all the way back to the Visitor's Center after the hike so we made do with trail mix, Ho Hos, and jerky.

After Angel's Landing, we refilled our water and went to the Lower and Middle Emerald Pools.  The hike was very easy and the Lower Pools were pretty, but the Middle Pools were entirely unimpressive.  The nice thing about the lower pools was that it was pretty shady and it was very easy on our tired legs.  At this point, we headed back to the car to eat lunch and then went back to the Campground.

I cannot say enough good things about the Zion Ponderosa campground.  The bathrooms were clean, the showers were excellent, and the staff was so helpful.  There were plenty of activities to keep us busy and a swimming pool, which was heaven-sent after our very hot day hiking.  We kept hydrated, but we were still so hot we had headaches by the time we got back to the campground.  We put on our swimsuits and jumped in the swimming pool and felt better almost instantly.  It was truly amazing.  After we had cooled down, we also jumped in the hot tub, which was wonderful for our aching muscles.

After swimming, I took a shower, and then we made hamburgers for dinner.  At the DealerTrack Christmas Party, I won a picnic grill and this was our first time using it.  Overall, it's not the best camp stove, but it wasn't bad either.  We grilled hamburgers and broccoli and they weren't too bad.  After dinner, the campground had barrel races that we watched before heading to bed.

We woke up early this morning, packed up camp, and headed into Zion's to hike the Narrows.  I've also wanted to do this hike for a while.  The hike wasn't very strenuous, but we were in the water for the majority of the hike.  We stayed nice and cool.  We went upstream about 1.5 miles to Orderville Canyon before turning back around and heading in.  The thing I loved about the Narrows is that you can go as long or as short as you want and you can really decide how much water you want to be in.  The deepest we got in was waist-deep.  It actually felt really nice in the hot sun.  I love this hike and I can't wait to do it again.

After finishing up the Narrows we got back in the car and headed home, but not before making reservations with Zion Ponderosa to go back to Labor Day.  I can't wait.  I want to do Hidden Canyon, and the Narrows again while we are there.  I also want to do the Zion Canyon overlook trail, which is just one mile and I've heard it's great.

Overall, we had a great weekend trip.  I can't wait to head back!  It's gorgeous!