Greetings from Zion which is absolutely beautiful! The view from our campsite is spectacular with soft grass and big cottonwoods for shade, a little stream right in front of our view of huge mountains. It reminds me of Yosemite in that it is another canyon and you're looking up at mountains towering around you. The canyon floor is so green and lush with a multitude of colors in the grasses. We hope to stay several days here. The name Zion was taken from the Old Testament I think and it means sanctuary. At least that's what I remember from the park shuttle. You can't drive in the main part of the park- you have to take an open air propane shuttle bus. It is actually really convenient and well done. There is therefore no traffic and no noise. The Mormons were influential in naming many of the mountains here and those names remain in effect now. Tomorrow we plan to hike to Angel's Landing- a super steep engineered trail on one of the mountains with lots of sheer drop-offs.
We left Bryce a couple of days ago. We had such a nice time and thoroughly enjoyed the hoodoos. One evening we went to a ranger presentation that was so interesting and funny. One thing I learned was that there really are glowworms! There are some at Bryce and they glow like a firefly. Sure enough, after the presentation Jon & I headed over to the canyon rim to look around for some and found one glowing away- trying to attract a mate. The presentation ended with the opportunity to look through several huge telescopes set up by volunteers since the night sky is so unpolluted around Bryce. Through a 20 inch telescope I could see a star cluster in our galaxy, in another, Saturn with it's rings, and then in another one I could see another galaxy along with a supernova which was interesting even though it hurts my head to contemplate these things!
Our backpacking trip in Bryce turned out really nice but there were some iffy moments. First, we were told there was a shuttle to the trailhead but in actuality we found out once we boarded the bus that it was a tour instead. So 3 hours after we'd gotten on the bus and something like 6 stops later (each stop everyone unloaded, walked around a viewpoint and then reloaded the bus), we were dropped off at the trailhead at 4:15pm. The first 3 miles or so we hiked through a burn area so it wasn't too pretty except for what wildflowers had taken hold and the trail was rough and hard to find. The next couple of miles got much better and we saw 3 golden eagles. We got to our campsite & even though it was reported to have water, the stream was dry as a bone. We had plenty of drinking water but not enough for cooking, coffee, etc. Plus the campsite was nothing special. So we hiked another 4 miles to the next campsite and that one was beautiful with a burbling brook and fantastic orange cliff views. It was 8pm by then and so our evening was rushed since at that elevation, it cools down fast. But we were the only ones there- such solitude! We could have happily stayed there at Yellow Creek another day but hadn't considered getting a permit for 2 nights at the same campsite so the next day we had a leisurely morning enjoying the scenery and then had a beautiful hike out. The bulk of the hike was through rolling canyons- sometimes you were really high and sometimes in a small valley. Then the last part was on the canyon rim among the hoodoos again which are so unique and fun to hike through.
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Zion
The following day we left Bryce to head a few miles downhill to Kodachrome State Park, known for it's colorful rock formations and spires. I guess years back when National Geographic visited there they nicknamed it Kodachrome after the Kodak film and the name stuck. It was truly beautiful, the desert trails were unique with their colors and eroded rock formations and we got a pretty campsite. We saw a jackrabbit for the first time- it reminded me of Alice in Wonderland although I'm not positive there IS a jackrabbit in that story. But...back at the camper, it was 102 degrees, there were swarms of biting gnats at the campground and the wind & blowing red sand was intense. When I got back to the camper from showering that evening, Jon was sitting in there in 102 degrees trying to think cool, the wind was blowing, sand was flying and the bugs were biting. You couldn't be in and you couldn't be out. What was the answer to our misery? Get the flock out of there! So we headed 2000 feet back up, past Bryce to Red Canyon and got the last site in a National Forest campground with yet more serene views and a creek rolling past our camper. Phew! The owner of the campground was from Vermont. I guess you can sort of lease out the right to run a National Forest Campground.
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Zion
And then we arrived here at Zion the following day. Although it is supposed to be hot, the air feels really good. Today we hiked up the Narrows which is the Virgin River itself. It just opened yesterday for the season and the water is still swift. The trail is the river and the slot canyon it runs through with towering 2000ft walls that narrow in on you is amazing. It was unlike any hike we've ever done, a little busy for the first hour or so but then it quieted down. Using your hiking poles with hiking shoes on, you wade up to your thighs, even your chest at times through the water, across multicolored stones with pretty green ferns hanging on to the cliffs. In wash areas where the river is a little wider, there are even small trees. And mom, the same fern that I shake in your garden is here and doing well! Also the maidenhair fern. As I walked, I found myself thinking that the fact that this is an accepted thing to do is justification for something you never allow yourself to do, never contemplate just walking up a canyon IN THE WATER. Definitely tests your lateral leg muscles!
Then tonight, we broke down and actually went in to town for some Southwestern food, the first we've eaten out on our trip. We each got a pint of the Polygamy Porter- the Mormon influence is everywhere! But the beer was good!
7/1 Just posting this today, I wrote it yesterday. Today was a catch up day- we did some shopping in prep for leaving tomorrow for 3 nights backpacking the west rim of the canyon. That'll be where we spend our 4th of July! And we tried to troubleshoot why the truck is starting hard- it isn't the battery anyway. Maybe it is the starter. For now it starts....
Best wishes for a great July 4th for everyone!