Epic Summer Adventure: Zion NP

I flew into Vegas on Thursday the 9th of June and met up with *Elizabeth!

The girl who inspired me to compete in a Triathlon!
Always fun to go to a dance with! Did you know she can Lindy Hop?
Guadalupe Mountains NP
Grand Canyon NP

Elizabeth inspired me to set my goal of traveling to all National Parks.

Back in 2008, when my job was causing mandatory shut-downs and I was out of work for weeks at a time, Elizabeth was my room mate finishing her graduate studies at UT in Astronomy.

In her awesome life she got to travel around the world to observe the universe.
Her upcoming travel would be taking her to Arizona where she had decided she was going to visit the Grand Canyon while she was there. Her travel was going to coincide with my mandatory shut-down which I happened to mention (secretly hoping she would invite me to come along.)

IT WORKED!!
She asked me to come along and I said yes and on the spur of the moment bought my plane ticket to Phoenix where she picked me up on her way through towards the Grand Canyon.

What an adventure! And inside I knew I wanted to experience every National Park.

That same year I visited Crater Lake NP & Guadalupe Mountains NP.

Then school took over my life as I really needed to focus and go year round, so my hiking and camping was limited to close by.

So in 2010 when I had a year left of school and many times felt like giving up and going on an adventure somewhere, Elizabeth came up with an awesome idea!

Graduation National Park Adventure.
The idea was planted in my heart and I knew we would make it happen.

Friday morning (June 10th) we woke up early with our car already packed and ready to go and arrived in Zion around 11ish am.

Hoping to get a campground in the park we waited in a line to learn that Friday is a difficult day to get a walk-in campsite. Just barely missed the availability. We camped just outside the park and laughed when we looked over the fence next to our campsite and saw a house. We felt like we were camping in someone's backyard. :) We made ourselves lunch and brought snacks with us to hike Angel's Landing.

This was the experience I was waiting for!

Angel's Landing - Strenuous ~ 4 hours or 5.4 miles round trip 1488 foot elevation change
Long drop-offs. Not for young children or anyone fearful of heights. Last section is a route along a steep, narrow ridge to the summit.

When I started the last section I needed to take a second and overcome my fears. The pace was slow and steady as I made sure I had my footing for each step.

The view was worth it.

After we finished Angel's Landing we did the Kayenta Trail to the Lower Emerald Pool and then connected to the Lower Emerald Pool Trail.

Kayenta Trail to Lower Emerald Pool Trail - Easy to Moderate ~ 45 min or 1.6 miles round trip 150 foot elevation change
Minor to long drop-offs, un-paved/paved depending on the trail.

Yay for dinner! Tin foil dinners and soo yummy!

Hiked ~ 7 miles today

Saturday morning June 11

Breakfast: Omelette

Started with a view of the Court of the Patriarchs where we viewed Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob Peaks and Mount Moroni.

Next Hike was Lower Emerald Pool Trail to Upper Emerald Pool Trail. On these trails we were able to see the Lower, Middle, and Upper Emerald Pools.

Lower to Upper - Moderate ~ 1 hour or 2 miles round trip 200 foot elevation change
Minor drop-offs. Sandy and rocky trail.

Next to the Riverside Walk which is also the entrance for the Narrows, unfortunately the Narrows was closed due to high water.

Riverside Walk - Easy ~ 1 hour or 2.2 miles round trip 57 foot elevation change
Paved Trail follows the Virgin River along the bottom of a narrow canyon.

Weeping Rock Trail and Hidden Canyon Trail. The Rock appears to be weeping.

Weeping Rock - Easy ~ .3 hour or .4 mile round trip 98 foot elevation change
Short, but steep. Minor drop-offs. Paved Trail


Hidden Canyon Trail - Strenuous ~ 1.5 hours or 2.4 miles round trip 850 foot elevation change
Long drop-offs. Not for anyone fearful of heights. Follow along a cliff face to the mouth of a narrow canyon.

Dinner - Kabobs!

Hiked ~ 7 miles today

Zion NP total ~ 14 miles

Thank you Zion NP

Stay tuned for the next 5 parks!

*Elizabeth is one of the most awesome people I know. She has discovered new galaxies, how many people can say that! She also works at the Hubble Space Telescope Institute - which I like to brag about to people. Pretty much Elizabeth is a friend to brag about and I am so lucky we get to go on adventures together! Aside from her career choice, she is also an amazing friend, funny, and fascinating! She is inspiring!