Our first day at Zion was supposed to be our only day off of the South West trip. After sleeping in until 9 am and a leisurely breakfast, we set off to the park. We brought our equipment to survey water fountains and spigots, but left the restaurant and gift shop scanning for the second day. Our real mission for the day was to hike to Angels Landing, one of the most popular hikes in the park. Angels Landing may seem like a frou-frou hike based on its name, but it ended up being the most strenuous hike of the trip. On our way to the top, we walked through Refrigerator canyon which was 10 degrees cooler and unique geologic formations called Walter’s Wiggles. We hiked 1500 feet to Angels Landing, and we finally understood why it got this name. The path is so narrow and steep, that it really does seem that only an angel would be able to land at the top. With mental steel we made it despite the deafening wind and fear-induced tachycardia (actually Aly was cool as a cucumber). Proud of our accomplishments, we made our way down the monolith still awestruck by the beauty of this park.
For our second day in Zion, we were back to “work” as usual. We visited campgrounds, multiple restaurants, gift shops, and water fountains. We were even afforded the opportunity to meet with members at the Park office to learn more current efforts. Although a little tired from yesterday’s epic hike, we had the chance to take a short hike to the Emerald pools near the canyon. Our time in Zion had come to an end, and that evening we explored galleries in quaint town of Springdale before packing for our next destination.
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