The Splendid Southwest – 4

 I was most excited about our first day in Zion. I was going to hike Angel’s landing, touted to be one of the most dangerous ones in the USA. It was Thanksgiving Day and the crowd was enormous. The drive to the park was splendid with the red roads only adding to the effect. I learnt that local red cinders are used to paint the roads red. We parked our car in the town of Springdale and boarded the shuttle that would take us through the national park. We got off at the stop for the trailhead. We could see people climbing up the canyon wall up above as we started walking on the trail by the river. Once I was on the switchbacks, I wondered if I carried a little too much water. I paused every now and then, sometimes to take a look at the breathtaking view and sometimes simply because I could not go on. There were a lot of people returning from Angel’s landing at that time. Looking at them, I wished I had started earlier, which meant I would be done by lunch time and would have enough time to explore the rest of the park. It is wonderful how fellow hikers encourage you on these trails. Sometimes that is all it takes when you are on the verge of giving up. The weather was a saving grace, perfectly cool without a trace of rain. I walked through the refrigerator canyon where I could spot some fall colors on to the next series of switchbacks called Walter’s Wiggles. These were shorter and steeper. They led me to Scout outlook which is where the scariest part of the hike starts. I took a look at the chains, mustering enough courage to last the last half mile. A lot of hikers stopped at this point. Some took a seat on the rocks gazing at the view as they waited for the braver ones in their group while the others returned.

 The crowd probably made it easier to get over the fear of looking down to see how far you could fall if anything went wrong. I waited in line for almost half an hour to be able to cover the first part that had chains. After that, I followed a group and we stopped every now and then to let people pass in the opposite direction. It was not like anything I had done before and I am grateful for the hands I held to keep me from falling and to help myself get through. What was amazing is how even when someone was not sure if they had a foothold, they invariably extended their hand to help, especially when you are on the wrong side of the ridge. When I did make it to the top, I felt like I had earned it, forced to be on all fours at times. It was a tad too crowded, but I still managed to get a picture or two. The view on every side was awe-inspiring, tempting us to stay there for a while although more and more people flocked there as time passed. I made my way back to the trailhead quickly, taking only half the time that it took me to get up there. I could barely feel my legs, but the 5.4-mile adventure that took me a little more than three hours was rewarding.

 By the time we finished a tasteless lunch of cheese pizza slices, there was barely any time left for the sunset. We boarded the shuttle again and got off at another stop where there were no people to take some photos and walk down to the Virgin river. We were back on the shuttle soon to tick a couple of other spots along Zion Canyon Scenic drive, identifying some of the mountains along the way. We got off as soon as the driver of the shuttle announced that it was a beautiful spot to catch sunsets and there were hiking trails nearby. We walked towards the visitor center on a trail with the Watchman, the iconic mountain changing hues in front of us as dusk approached.

 We went to bed early, hoping to get enough sleep as we were going on an adventure the next day as well at the Zion Narrows. We arrived promptly and rented the gear for to keep us dry while walking in the river. The hike starts from the last stop of the shuttle, the temple of Sinawawa. The riverside walk is beautiful, letting us view the hanging gardens along the way and always crowded. Although it is possible to see the Narrows on this walk, the hike further up is what lets us into the deeper, darker secrets of the canyon, rewarding us with a thrilling experience. Looking up at the walls of the canyon and in front of you at the flowing water, you cannot but admire the persistence of the river that could cut through that sandstone. Following the river for a few miles sure instilled some of that perseverance in us. I was initially apprehensive and scared to walk in the water due to memories of my fracture which happened because I misjudged my foothold while crossing a river. Slowly, I improved, but not enough to keep up with many others around who seemed to be determined to complete the ten-mile round trip hike up to the Big Spring. In close to three hours, we hiked around three miles up and were on our way back. We barely had any food with us and although the water was not all that cold, it did get inside our shoes and made it rather uncomfortable to walk a lot. Three backpackers had hiked down the eighteen miles that requires a permit and joined us in the shuttle and later at a restaurant, celebrating their adventure with some drinks. We treated ourselves to burgers and fries at the end of the hike that lasted nearly the entire day. It was dark when we came out of the restaurant and started our drive to Vegas, regretful that we did not have another day to absorb the rest of Zion.

 We had literally seen a lot of red over the course of one week but were all the more enthralled to come back and explore the other two less popular national parks in Utah and a myriad of other national monuments and the like.