Put On Thy Strength, O Zion

So this summer, I had an amazing 3 week trip to AZ, UT, and NV. This trip involved friends, family, strangers, and solitude. I began my trip with a bunch of friends who love hiking. Our first destination, Zion National Park.

After arriving in Vegas, we rented a car and on the way there we stopped at a gas station out in the middle of nowhere, really. The attendant told me that Zion was the best of all the parks, even better than Grand Canyon. I was highly suspicious of that claim, but when we got there I could see what he meant (even if I don't agree). The thing that makes Zion different is that when you enter you are at the bottom of the canyon, not the top. This makes for some incredible views.

We got there late afternoon, so we set up camp. The next day was the big day for us to explore. We hiked to a couple of pools in the morning, nice easy tourist hikes. By afternoon we were looking for something more challenging but didn't want to get overwhelmed by the heat. The high was supposed to be 100-110 F. We all had tons of water, electrolytes, power bars, and such. But still that is crazy hot.

A ranger had told us that Hidden Canyon was a good mid-day hike because it was cool and shady. It was supposed to be 2 miles round trip. After hiking for what had to be 2-3 miles, we were all getting very hot and frustrated. It kept seeming like the canyon had to be just a little bit further, all the while the hike was getting more and more strenuous. There were parts where you had to climb rocky surfaces so slippery that chains were there to keep you from falling. Finally, we came to a narrow area with a huge obstacle at the end. I have to admit that I didn't think we were going to make it any further. But after a bit of exploring, some of us decided to continue on. The obstacles we met were pretty serious. I have done some bouldering in the past but never anything nearly as difficult as this. There was one I simply could not get over by myself. Fortunately, there were some more experienced hikers who helped us over. And at the end we found this.

Yes, that is snow. In Zion Park. In June. Truly a hidden canyon. It was wicked hard but definitely worth it. After that, we were all exhausted so that was pretty much it for the day. The next day we had to leave for Grand Canyon, so we took the morning to sight-see the parts of the park we hadn't gotten to yet.

My only regret is that we didn't have more time to explore. Oh, well. Plenty left to do for next visit.