Zion National Park

Well, our week of good fortune continued. Dave and I entered the daily lottery to obtain a hiking permit for Angels Landing. And we BOTH won!! Woot woot! off to Zion we go!!

Our drive took about an hour and 10 minutes. The views of course were spectacular. Part of the drive includes driving through a 1.1 mile tunnel. The tunnel has several windows from which you can catch glimpses of the park. Stopping is not allowed in the tunnel… however, being the off season, no one was behind us and so Dave stopped so I could snap pictures out our windows.

After coming out of the tunnel, you descend down to the canyon floor using 6 switch backs. The views are incredible especially as the sun was coming up on the mountains.

At the bottom of the canyon were several mule deer doing their thing.

We parked and got set for the hike. It was 32 degrees and windy as we set out to hike. Angels Landing is a strenuous 5.4 mile (almost 6 for us). It took us approximately 4 hours to climb making us average hikers according to the warning signs. Ha!

The first 2ish miles of the hike are mostly paved with a series of 21 switchbacks known as the wiggles. Anyone can hike this portion of the trail which brings you to Scouts landing.

We reached Scouts Lookout in about an hour. Our quads were feeling the burn! There are signs posted frequently to remind you permits are required to hike the Angels Landing portion. To reach Angels Landing requires climbing a trail cut into stone. It is not a trail for the faint of heart. The total elevation change is 5790ft. This section is only about a mile round trip. It was the most challenging mile I have ever hiked.

The temperatures warmed up now that we were in the sun, but it was still windy. Along the trail are sections with chains to help you climb. There are also sections without chains. Both were super scary.

There were times when the space between steps were too far for my legs. I not only used all fours to climb but sometimes my knees and butt. The trail wasn’t crowded on our way out and the weather was perfect. The wind seemed to die down as well. Whenever we had to wait for someone to pass, I would take a break, sit and enjoy the view.

At the Saddle portion of the hike we saw a condor perched on top of one rock.

It took us about an hour to climb the to Angels Landing. Slow and steady. I’ll admit, I had moments where I was completely freaked out by the height. I did a lot of deep breaths and reminded myself to take it one step at a time. Dave was an amazing hiking partner, of course. He was patient and so supportive. We developed a system where we would only have one of us on a section of chain at a time because the chain would wiggle and freak me out!

We packed sandwiches and stopped for lunch on top. Talk about a view!

While we tried to relax, we had annoying chipmunks begging for snacks.

After about 30 minutes we were ready to hike back down. Just a few more pictures to truly take it in.

We also joked about the trees along the trail. Tree friends were a favorite of mine to hang onto and in some cases hug! I also loved when there was a crevice I could wedge myself in as I climbed up.

It took us about an hour to climb back down to Scouts Lookout. It was easier in some ways to descend because the physical demand was less. However, perspective wise, it was more challenging because now my back was to the mountain and I saw more of the open space all around me. It gave me that vertigo feeling. Also, we had to wait more frequently because the trail was getting more crowded. When we made it back to Scouts Lookout we took a picture of where we just were. If you look closely, you can see people on Angels Landing on the left side of the red rock.

It took us another hour to hike down and back to the car. We took our time down the switchbacks reflecting on the hike we just conquered!

After our hike we drove through the rest of the park. Soaking in the majestic view of the huge mountains. Most of these pictures were out of the car window. Beautiful regardless.

This week has been truly epic! Beyond my expectations. Thank you for following our adventures.