Make Time: Zion National Park

I drove out of Vegas and made the 3 hour trip to Zion National Park relatively easy. The views on the trip were absolutely beautiful, which made the trek that much easier. I got into the camp and picked a campsite at Watchman, which is a great campsite near the entrance of the park. I setup my tent and then drove to an easy hike which overlooked the main canyon of the park. Breathtaking. I saw big horned sheep and sat for a while watching them navigate the steep rock walls with complete ease. The views of the canyon were breathtaking, and it was a nice change of pace from the craziness and stupidity of Vegas. Much needed. I headed back to my campsite around sundown and covered myself in my sleeping bag, which my boy Philbo Baggins actually lent to me, and passed out.

I woke up the next morning to below-freezing temperatures. Luckily the sleeping bag kept me warm, so I was good, but wow once I stepped out of the tent it was frigid. Funny - the top of the tent even had frost on it! I ate some quick breakfast and then drove to the beginning of Angel's Landing trail. Everyone I spoke with told me that I absolutely HAD to do this hike, so I was excited to check it out. I got to the trail around 7:30am, and there was one other woman about to do the hike as well. We exchanged a polite "good morning" and then independently went about the hike. It's about 2 miles to the top, but the elevation change is dramatic. As you get to the top of the huge rock, there are a series of chain linked fences that you must use to navigate the trail. At one point I was holding on to the chain as I walked a narrow path that dropped off 1500 feet on either side. There is a sign just as you start the steep ascent that warns you that 6 people have died on this hike since 2004. Yikes. I passed the woman who was in front of me but I continued to check on her to make sure she was ok. I got to the top first and was happy to see that I was the only person up there. Peace. Beauty. Such amazing views of the valley below and the sun coming up...hard to explain in words. Once the other woman made it to the top she took some pics of me and I took some of her, so it was a perfect way to capture the moment. I then laid down on the rocks and just enjoyed the moment for about an hour. Eventually other hikers came up and by the time I left it was very crowded. Oh - funny - when I was laying on the rocks a few chipmunks actually came up to check me out. One of them even walked on top of my legs. So cool. It was a special moment for me - hanging on this huge rock while a chipmunk treated me like a buddy. Eventually I climbed down and on my descent I passed a TON of people. Really glad I decided to do the hike early. So I got to my car and then drove around the park for a bit before making my way to Ridgway to see my great friends Mr and Mrs O'Leary. They were initially going to join me camping in Zion, but they couldn't so I decided to make the 7.5 hour drive to their home, which I had stayed at a few months before. The views and mountains on this drive were also absolutely breathtaking, and it was nice to be driving in such beautiful country as I made my way to spending time with great friends...

Seen on my drive from Vegas to Zion National Park

My campsite at Zion

On a hike in Zion

Big horn sheep in the middle of this picture

Map of the hike I did to Angel's Landing

On the beginning of my hike to Angel's Landing

Entering the tougher part of the Angel's Landing hike. These railings were all over the top part of the hike, and there's always people putting locks on them. One of my apartments in SF was 143 Masonic, so I thought this was a nice coincidence.