When was the last time you went on a really great hike? Not a hike that was great because of the workout, or because of the time spent outdoors. I’m talking about a hike that challenged you physically while astounding your senses. What did you see, hear, touch, smell, and maybe even taste that was so incredible? Maybe you’re not really into hiking. That’s ok; maybe this post will change your mind!
It’s possible that I’m finally coming near the end of my blog series on our amazing summer vacation. If you’ve joined the series late, please do go back and check out my preview post, the first installment, and the follow up episode.
Today, I want to talk about my favorite hike of the whole three week trip. Ok, so my two favorite hikes. We visited eleven parks, so I hope you’ll forgive me for need to do two favorites instead of one.
The Water Hike
I must confess that one of my favorite hikes occurred in one of my not-so-favorite parks. Zion National Park in Utah is an amazing park.
The mountains and mesas are majestic and awe-inspiring. Some of the hikes are among the most dangerous and thrilling of any of the parks we visited. And there is a beautiful river that flows through the whole canyon, a refreshing burst of coolness and refreshment in the midst of the otherwise harsh landscape. I don’t want to discount any of that beauty.
But it was hot. So hot. The temperatures hovered around 100 degrees fahrenheit every day. And it was windy. We had wind gusts approaching 30 – 40 mph. We were tent camping. The dust was red. Everything I owned became covered in red dust. I would visit Zion again, but I would not stay in a tent or come in June.
With all those disclaimers, let me say that hiking The Narrows was an adventure like none other we experienced on our trip. Zion is a canyon based park, and the river that helped form that canyon provides the setting for this most popular hike.
I should also mention that the trail had opened only two weeks before our arrival. The river was cold, high, and swift, due to massive snow melt at higher elevations. If the river is too high, the park service will close the trail. I am grateful it was open when we came.
The girls were excited and we tried to get an early start, given the high temperatures of the day.
The trail was crowded (it really is the most popular hike in the park and the reason many people come to Zion), but easy going in the beginning. It was a fairly level and paved trail. Gradually, the path became more narrow and the pavement stopped. We were hiking alongside the Virgin River as it winds its way through the canyon.
But the highlight of the hike is when the canyon begins to narrow further, so much so that the trail becomes nothing more than a footpath. Eventually, even the footpath ends and the trail becomes the river itself. My girls thought it was fantastic! We waded right in and continued the hike. The water was a frigid 52 degrees, but in 100 degree heat, it was a welcome change.
I held tight to my oldest daughter while my husband grabbed on to our six year old. We followed the river for only about 3/4 of a mile (the trails continues for some ten miles). At that point, the water was up to my little one’s shorts and the current was so strong it was a battle to take each step. For safety reasons, we knew it was wise to turn back. We were wet and tired, but it was oh so worth it. How often do you get the chance to hike in a river?! The Narrows is definitely on my list for favorites!
The Wall Hike
I think in terms of sheer grandeur, my favorite hike was Wall Street in Bryce Canyon.
We may not have made it to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, but Bryce is considerably smaller, the weather was amazing, and we were ready to give it a go. Some portions of the trails in Bryce were closed due to excessive snow melt that had caused some avalanches, so we were rerouted from our original plan. We started off full of energy and excitement and we were not disappointed. Almost immediately upon descending the rim of the canyon, we found ourselves along an intricate serious of steep switchbacks rapidly descending the canyon.
As we hiked lower, the canyon walls rose higher and straighter around us. We were completely surrounded by red and orange rock walls hundreds of feet above us.
When we reached the bottom, we were astounded to see a regal Douglas fir growing straight and tall in a crevice at the bottom.
The canyon walls split apart enough to allow both sunshine and rain or snow to easily reach the tree, and so it had grown higher and higher through the years. The bottom of the hike was cool and sheltered. There were quite a few people hiking through, but it still felt isolated from the larger canyon. I don’t think I’ve ever seen rock walls quite that color before. I know I’ve never hiked amidst rock walls quite that high before. My pictures simply fail to capture the exquisite artistry of that place.
I will spare you the details of our much lengthier ascent of the canyon. No, we didn’t have to return via the steep switchbacks. But our long, slow ascent was hampered by the altitude and little legs of tired children. We did make it back to the top eventually, and I consider that to be one of our biggest accomplishments of the trip. And we even managed to have some fun along the way.
When was the last time you went on a hike? What natural areas are there in your neighborhood or within a short drive that you could explore? Challenge yourself; do something you’ve not done before. See what beauty is yet to be discovered and experienced. Then share a of photo of you in the midst of it!
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