Zion Narrows 2K08 begins! view from our drive into zion by way of vegas
we drove into springdale, ut to pick up our hiking permits and set up camp for the night. little did we know flash flood warnings would prohibit us from picking up the permits...
fortunately, the next morning we were able to obtain permits, but we couldnt start the hike until 9:30am... a super late start. allegedly the hike was to take about 12.5 hours and the likelihood of flash floods was super high. according to the park ranger “you're rolling the dice with your life”. Um... ok... fun!
the hike starts off flat and grassy. we were keeping our eyes on the cloud cover
happy camper erika!
clouds? uh oh.
it got increasingly rocky... but there's still ground to walk on
my walking stick. these things were a MUST as we would eventually spend 70% of our day walking through the river. you can't see the bottom at all so you're completely reliant on the stick to navigate the way.
the rocks were amazing
erika again
around mile 3-4 the canyon walls began emerging... the formations were so interesting and unique... unlike any other hike i've ever done
seriously? it's so cool
this giant pile of debris was a reality check for us... when flash floods occur in the Narrows, the water can rise up to 5 feet in a matter of minutes, often carrying large debris along with it. the entire zion valley empties into the Narrows - it's essentially a funnel.
navigating this was kinda brutal
these reminded me of monoliths
this is where it got cool! giant walls on both sides and nothing but river to walk in. these are the areas where if a flash flood occurs, you're basically... well... screwed
yey me, notice the cool neoprene socks n shoes
walking along
Looking up from the bottom of the canyon
this was awesome
we unexpectedly encountered a waterfall and had no clue how to get around it. it was cool though.
fortunately there's this round-about area to get around
amazing
that's the waterfall after we passed it
at this point the canyon was only about 10 feet wide
erika and kristin navigating the narrows. we're awesome ;)
the only other hikers in the Narrows... they made great personal photographers
love this picture... in real life it's 10x cooler
The canyon is so narrow and insanely tall
perspective on how narrow it is
it looks like it would be deep... but it's only up to your mid-calf
there were periodic breaks where the canyon opens up
notice how many colors and layers there are
it's me... :)
this was hands down the coolest part... it's an area called 'wall street' that stretches about a mile
the blue skies above
so awesome
it's hard to tell, but it is REALLY high to the top
this is where two rivers converge... meaning the rest of the hike is in double the water
my shoes
see how small erika looks!
the rock in the foreground is about 15 feet tall
love this pic too :)
the end! 10 hours and 16 miles later... no flash floods! Awesome trip, a MUST for everyone :)
on the way back, we made a random side trip to colorado city, az - home of one of the largest FLDS communities in the U.S.
notice the U.E.P. sign on the gate... represents the financial arm of the FLDS
this place was super creepy. huge, unfinished houses, gravel streets (even though the gov't gave the community $1.9 to pave the streets), giant walls around every single compound
one of the compounds... these people DO NOT want you to look in
we think that behind these gates is where warren jeffs must have presided. the house was enormous... with about 10 wings (for all the wives!)
this one didnt have fences, not sure why
10 passenger vans (with tinted windows) in most of the driveways
drive between colorado city and las vegas
i was playing with camera settings (if it's not obvious... lots of random colors)
this view was absolutely incredible... i took about 20 pics...i like this camera setting the best!
i like this one too
off to vegas... later!
