Day 45 – Observation Point, Zion National Park

Monday, October 25^th, 2010

The site I found by the river last night was perfect, and free. It rained again last night. I’m starting to think that it rains every night here. It didn’t stop until around 9am and then the sun came out from behind the clouds. I got my stuff together and drove about nine miles back to the South entrance of Zion. It’s a $25 admission fee to get into the park, so the $80 Annual National Park Pass that I purchased at Badlands, SD has already paid for itself and then some. Once I got back inside the park it started raining again. I thought about scrapping the idea of hiking today as I sat in my car trying to figure out what the weather was going to do. I figured it would be a waste not to hike while I'm here so I grabbed my raingear and went to the shuttle stop. Luckily it stopped raining for good about five minutes later.

I only did one hike today, the Observation point hike via the East Rim Trail. It was a total of eight miles with an elevation gain of 2,148’ and is accessed from the Weeping Rock shuttle stop. About a mile into the trail I came across a section in Echo Canyon that was difficult to traverse because the depth of the stream had risen from the rain, so I had to scale a sloping wall of rocks to get through. I got about half way through and then backtracked to rethink my approach. Portions of Echo Canyon are slot canyons and the wind here quickly went from a steady, soft breeze to 30-40+mph. It was here where I met Carsten from Heidelberg, Germany. Together, we planned a route to get across the water. We ended up hiking the rest of the seven miles together. Carsten came to the US to attend a technology conference in Las Vegas and was spending a few days hiking around Bryce Canyon and Zion before he returns. Overall, the Observation Point trail was a relatively easy hike. It had a few steep sections but for the most part it was a gradual incline on mainly paved trails. Along the trail there were more steep drop-offs, great views the entire way up and lots of waterfalls, one of the benefits from all of the rain the past few days. From the top were panoramic views out over Zion Canyon, and across the way you could see Angels Landing. All in all, it was a nice hike but after just having done Angels Landing the day before, it would be hard for any trail to receive higher marks.

Leaving Zion, I drove out the south side of Zion park on the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway (Utah Highway, U-9), a 14-mile long scenic byway that exits out of the east side of the park. I set my GPS to Bryce Canyon and continued east on U-9 and then north on US-89. There weren’t many people living between Zion and Bryce but I did see my share of animals. I passed by fields of cattle, buffalo, horses, llamas, donkeys, elk and Texas longhorn.

I drove past the turn that lead to Bryce Canyon after I saw a sign for Subway’s $5 footlongs and free wi-fi in Panguitch, UT, about seven miles out of the way. I don’t get to eat a lot of vegetables on the road, so between being able to load up a sandwich with tomatoes, peppers, onions and pickles and not having to write my blog from the front seat of a Subaru, Subway was a fine detour. The town of Panguitch encompasses only 1.4 square miles and I think I’ve seen every one of its residents come through this Subway, all dressed in camo with hunter orange vests and hats. The temperature is now in the 40s and snow can be seen off on the mountain tops. The girl behind the Subway counter said it snowed here last night and it is supposed to snow again tonight. It’s about time!

Day 44 – Angels Landing - Zion National Park, Utah

Sunday, October 24^th, 2010

Here's a link to a map of Zion National Park.

I hopped on board the free shuttle this morning around 9:30 and rode it to the Grotto stop. This stop along the six mile canyon road provides access to the Grotto and Kayenta trails, both of which I did yesterday, and the most well known trail at Zion National Park, Angels Landing. Angels Landing was closed yesterday for repair work so today was my chance to see it for myself.

Today was mostly overcast and fairly cool, in the upper 50s. An extra layer of clothing was needed this morning but it was quickly shed once I began walking. The Zion brochure ranks Angels landing in the strenuous hike category with a total round trip distance of 5.4 miles and a 1,488’ elevation gain. This trail probably gets its notoriety from the amazing 360 panoramic views at the summit but also because of the many lives that have been lost here, the most recent being this past April. It’s a plenty safe hike to do if you are careful and aware of your surroundings; however, some people unfortunately are not.

The trail is fairly steep but it’s paved a good portion of the way. It zig-zags back and forth as it winds its way up the high rock walls. There is one section called Walter’s Wiggles where the trail switchbacks 21 times, with not more than 20 paces before it again changes direction, almost 180 degrees. After Walter’s Wiggles, the next significant milestone is Scout Lookout. This is where many people, even with the best intentions of summiting Angels Landing, have their first peak at what lies ahead and decide to turn around. The end of Angels Landing is only 0.5 miles from Scout Lookout, but it is also the most challenging. The path to the top at 5,785’ is littered with obstacles such as boulders to maneuver over and around, slippery sandstone slopes and narrow paths, in some places only 3-4 feet wide, separating you from 1,200’ near vertical drop offs on either side. In recent years, trail crew have installed heavy gauge chains as a safety device in some of the more dangerous sections, even still, this is not for anyone fearful of heights.

I made it to the top and it wasn’t as bad as some people have made it out to be. I videotaped the last 0.5 miles from Scout Lookout to the top of Angels Landing so hopefully sometime soon I will have access to a fast internet connection to upload the file. It was definitely a trail worth hiking and just about anyone can do it if they’re careful and they don’t get freaked out by being on the edge of some very steep cliffs.

I decided to only do one hike today. After Angels Landing, I drove back to the town of Hurricane which I passed through on my way from Vegas to Zion. I remembered a Wal-Mart being there and I was running low on supplies. Things like batteries, energy bars, cookies, peanut butter and crackers, cans of chili, pudding, you know, all the good stuff that doesn’t go bad without refrigeration. While driving to Wal-Mart I found a public grounds area where I saw a few tents set up so I will go and check that out later tonight. It looks a little sandy but there are plenty of trees and it’s right on the edge of the river.

Tomorrow morning I am planning on doing the Observation Point trail via the East Rim trail. It's eight miles and should take about five hours. After that I think I will be on my way to Bryce Canyon.