Angels (Cherubs) Landing.... Zion

Roger here....  The girls are safely back home.  For fourteen years, since our first visit to Zion, I have wanted to do this hike to Angels Landing.  At that time we opted for the strenuous "Hidden Canyon" hike instead --- a better option for Dianne.  (Even that hike was terrifying for me -- D.)  However,  I really wanted to do this hike.  So, the doggies spent one last day at the Doggie Dude Ranch while Dianne and I spent our last day (this trip) at Zion National Park.


Dianne was a really good sport about this whole thing.  (She really did not want me to do this.)  Waiting at the motor home while I pursued this would have been agony for her, so she agreed to hike 2 miles (uphill to Scout Landing) to wait for me while I pursued the final leg of the treacherous Angels Landing summit.

The first section of the hike was a gentle, slightly uphill, trek along the Virgin River --- not too bad, if not for the knowledge of what lay ahead.  The photo to the right shows my ultimate goal.  (Look three-fourths of the way on the left-hand side of the formation.  Note the steep slope.  More about that, later.)

After many, many switchbacks, we finally reached Refrigerator Canyon.  Ahhhh!  Shade!!!  The opening photo was taken just before we entered the shady, semi-flat, pathway into the canyon.  A third of the way up!  Still a long way to go.  A photo of Refrigerator Canyon is to the left.

We enjoyed the relatively flat trail through the canyon.














The shade was especially welcome.  Do I look winded?

The rock formations at Zion are always amazing.

Our respite from the uphill trudge was agonizingly short-lived as we arrive at the next major uphill climb, Walter's Wiggles (below).

Walter's Wiggles was the brainchild of Walter Ruesch, park superintendent, who in 1926 envisioned the adventurous climb to Angels Landing.  The 21 switchbacks cut into solid rock pretty much took Dianne and me straight up --- all the way to the next major resting point, Scout Landing (two-thirds of the way!). By the way, the picture of the return trip (still to come), gives an even better perspective of the wiggles.


Click this to get an aerial view and REALLY see the wiggles!


(I want it to be known that even though I wimped out at Scout Landing, I made it up the wiggles! -- D.)

The view from Scout Landing was amazing, but there was greater adventure ahead.

On to Angels Landing, the ultimate goal, at least for me.  From the outset, Dianne knew that she would be waiting for me at Scout Landing while I continued.  I hoped that she would enjoy her picnic lunch while I trudged on.  Take special note of the icon depicting the falling hiker.  I did.
(When I look at this poster, all I see is the first paragraph stating that since 2004 six people have fallen to their deaths from this hike!  -- D.)  

Allrighty then.  The first part of the final section did not look too bad.  Dianne even said so (while the others waiting at Scout Landing chuckled.)  It looked like there were chains on the way up.  I would hold on to the chains and pull myself up --- which I did.

Photo-taking was difficult.  I had to wrap my arm around the chain in a place where I was reasonably sure of my footing.  I found few such places.  Here is a photo:  My feet were just inches away from the rocky ledge.  What I cannot show you is the narrowness of the downward-slanted ledges, and the gaps between the chains where I had to scramble up without any handhold.  At one point, I was forced to swing over the abyss to gain a foothold.  The chain was the only anchor that kept me from falling 1500 feet.  

Eventually, I reached a relatively flat and expansive area about a third of the way to the top of the final climb.  Here is a shot from what I am now calling Cherubs Landing.  A friendly, young European couple (could not identify the accent) took my photo at that point.  I was very careful not to step back too far!  To the right of my shoulder, you can see the remaining climb to the top.

At Cherubs Landing I listened to several hikers who were deciding whether or not to continue.  I knew I could physically make it, but the thought of one misstep being my last weighed heavily on my mind.  The young European couple had pretty much decided to turn back.  The guy told me that he was shaken by the inherent danger.  A 30-something young lady said that she was going back and pretty much talked me out of going further.  As Dianne says, "smart people live longer."  (I later met up with both the European couple and the 30-something lady.  As it turns out, they both went on and made it to the top.  Oh well, I was happy for them.)


Now the only thing to dread was climbing back down to Scout Landing.  In many ways this seemed more perilous than the upward climb.  I don't think I mentioned that there was only one chain, so if you met someone coming from the opposite direction, you were forced to swing around each other to maintain a grip on the chain.

Down I went.  Here are a few shots of the descent. (Most of the way, it was straight down on both sides.)














 Below is one of those places where you had to go down without the benefit of the chains.

I have to admit that despite my adventuresome nature that I was truly frightened.

Anyone light-headed yet?  Yep, despite my disappointment, turning back was the smart decision.  This is the place where I had to swing out, holding onto the chains, to gain the next foothold.  Yikes!  I can't believe I did that!  Keep in mind that I was to the right of the chain in the photos below, hanging out over the edge. 

Back to Scout Landing to find Dianne lounging under the shade of a tree with dozens of others.  Even Dianne, the worry-wart, had no idea what I had just done.  Doesn't she look relaxed?  (I had a very pleasant wait at Scout Landing.  I even saw three California Condors soaring above me.  Had I known what Roger was actually doing, this photo would have looked much, much different!!  -- D.)

We ate our picnic lunches and decided to go further up the West Rim Trail.  We knew that we would be able to safely reach the elevation of Angels Landing, but on a more reasonable trail.  So again, up we went.  In the photo above, you can see a few of the people at Scout Landing.

As we ascended, we were able to get a good look at the first portion of the Angels Landing Trail that I had climbed.  I made it well past the top of this particular section.

We were able to hike into the white Navajo rock formations that you can see at the top of most of the canyon.  Lots and lots of jaw-dropping scenes.

More interesting rock formations. (Dianne liked the rich, red color in these rocks.)

Time for one of our frequent hydration stops, then--- time to go down --- about 1500 feet.  My fear at this point was that my knees might give out like they did on the Four Mile Hike to the top of the canyon at Yosemite a couple of years ago.  Not to worry, barely a twinge in my knees :-).

One last look at Angels Landing.  I made it to the top of the formation on the right.  I really would not have liked to go up, only to go down again, and then up further.  The steep ascent in the middle of the picture is the same slope from the photo at the beginning of the hike.   Glad I stopped when I did.  (Not really glad, but rationalization helps.)

Here is the promised view of The Wiggles, from the top.  If you didn't click on the link above, you really should to get the full effect.


Spectacular views on the downward trek:

This was likely our last day at Zion National Park. We have been here for a month.  We will be in the area for a couple more days, but saying goodbye to such an amazing park is bittersweet.  Tomorrow... a dog park in Springdale to play with the pups and a ghost town?  That is the plan.


The Pet Picture of the Day shows Bandido looking out the car window on the way to the Doggie Dude Ranch.  He loves it so much that he actually cries when he gets near.  He recognizes the town of Rockville just before the Dude Ranch, and starts whimpering and pawing at the windows in anticipation!

Family Time!!

Hi all, Dianne here.  Our long-awaited family vacation finally arrived on May 31 as we picked up our girls from the Las Vegas airport:  Robyn (left above) flew in from Los Angeles, and our younger daughter, Amanda (middle) and granddaughter, Kaia (right) flew in from Florida -- all arriving at the airport within an hour of each other.  Roger grilled T-bone steaks and we had a relaxing dinner at the camp site before Amanda and Robyn retired to the camping cabin we rented for them.  Kaia opted to stay in the motor home with "Mee-Maw" and "Pop-Pop", and of course we were happy about that!

Bandido and Tequila were glad that she opted to stay in the motor home, too, 'cause they weren't allowed in the camping cabin.  


There is no shortage of things to do here, so we made the most of our time together.  I cooked ahead to have some of their favorites on hand, like my Aunt Jan's chocolate chip cookies and the egg casserole we traditionally had on holidays and that I fixed for them on school mornings during exam week in high school.  It tasted even better outside at the picnic table!

The weather here at Zion has been beautiful the weeks that Roger and I have been here, but the forecast was HOT (100s) for the days the girls were to be here.  


DAY ONE:   We solved that problem on day one by getting an early start and doing the two relatively shady "cool" hikes at Zion National Park; first the Lower Emerald Pool, then the Riverside Walk and wading in the Narrows.  



If the photos look better than usual, it's because I let Amanda (who has a very artistic eye) be in charge of the camera.  

I also let her do the editing and special effects.  She took SO MANY photos that our hikes were slow-going, which her sister and daughter chided her about nonstop!  

With Amanda manning the camera, there are of course a disproportionate number of photos of her daughter, Kaia.  No problem as far as I'm concerned!!




Here's a cute photo of Kaia and her Aunt Robyn together at the shuttle bus stop:

We had water shoes and hiking sticks ready for the girls for the Narrows portion of our hike.

As you can see, we had plenty of company hiking in the cold water that day -- did I mention it was HOT??  The crowd in the water was not an issue, because most of our time was spent staring at our feet, trying to place each foot in the rocky bottom of the river and keep our balance.  

Here's Kaia modeling her water shoes, showing how rocky the bottom of the river is.  You really do have to concentrate on each step to keep your balance.

Roger, always the show-off, decided to continue around the bend, through the waist-deep cold water.  I snapped his photo as he waded back to us.    He had hoped we'd all follow him, but I could have told him that wasn't gonna happen.

I have to show you my favorite photo of the day, Kaia and her Mee-Maw.  This year she has grown so tall that she's officially taller than both Roger and I now!  She was my little buddy and constant companion from ages 2 - 10, when I was her daily babysitter.  We will always have a special bond.  

DAY TWO:  Another hot, hot day in the forecast at Zion, so on day two we packed a picnic lunch and drove 140 miles to show the girls the north rim of the Grand Canyon.  

First, though, we made a quick stop to get a photo of the "shoe tree" that Roger and I have smiled at every time we drove from our camp site to Zion.  It looks even better with our three models posed in front of it.

The drive to the Grand Canyon wasn't as bad as you might expect, because the first portion of it was through Zion Canyon, through the tunnel, and through the east side of Zion National Park.  We did a few stops along the way so the girls could climb around on the slickrock for a bit, as Roger and I had done the previous Sunday. 

 Of course, I had to hold Amanda's Diet Coke so she could take the photos.

The higher elevation at the north rim made for a perfect day for a picnic and a hike.  We found a picnic spot right on the rim of a side canyon.

Amanda, the artistic one, noticed this aspen tree at our picnic site with an "eye".  She calls it the "all-seeing tree."

Amanda had us all pose with the tree, so here are some of my favorite photos:

After our picnic lunch, we walked through the lodge and gawked over the edge of the canyon. 

 We were glad to be able to give Kaia the chance to see it.  Then we set off on the 3-mile Transept Trail that leads from the lodge to the north rim campground.  The trail afforded great views of the canyon at nearly every turn: 

If you're more interested in the scenery than our family photos, here's an album of the photos Amanda took at the Grand Canyon:


North Rim Grand Canyon Scenery


On the way home we ate at an excellent restaurant, the Rocking V Cafe, in Kanab.  This put our drive back through Zion and the tunnel at sunset, so we made several photo stops at Amanda's urging.  

As we drove through, gawking at the sunset, I spied what could only have been a California Condor, swooping down and catching his supper.   We watched him for a while through my binoculars (too far away for a photo, but NO other bird is THAT big -- up to 9-foot wing span!)  California Condors are known to inhabit the tall cliffs at Zion, and I was thrilled to actually see one.

That night Amanda took some sunset photos at the river behind our camp site.  I couldn't decide which one to use in the blog, so here is a slide show of all 15, if you're interested:

DAY THREE:  Unfortunately, Robyn (a very busy gal) had to fly back to L.A. on Sunday.  Her flight was late in the day, so we took the opportunity to spend the day in Las Vegas, to show Kaia some of the big hotels.  Robyn was our tour guide, since she lived in Las Vegas for a year when she performed with Second City at the Flamingo Hotel.

We didn't escape the heat in Las Vegas, of course, but as they say, "it's a dry heat."  We were indoors most of the time anyway, and the girls did a little shopping.  

We were glad to show Kaia the canal shops in the Venetian.  While we did that, Mandy and Robyn played a few slots.  Then it was time to head for the airport to drop off our firstborn.

DAY FOUR:  Another hot, hot day in Zion was a perfect time to drive 95 miles to Bryce Canyon, which at 7800 feet is always cool.  I've always thought Bryce Canyon is the most beautiful place on earth.  Roger and I will spend a week there when we leave Zion next Sunday, so I won't show all 112 photos Amanda took.  They are amazing, though, so I've uploaded those without family in them to a Photobucket album.  Here's the link:


Amanda's Bryce Canyon Scenic Photos

We hiked from Sunset Point to Sunrise Point via the Navajo Loop and Queen's Garden.

A beautiful day in a beautiful place!  Amanda got really close to a small ground squirrel/chipmunk and got a good photo of it:

We interrupt this blog for an important announcement:  As I was writing this, who should walk by but RV Sue and Her Canine Crew!  (Link to her blog).  Sue was visiting her friends Geri and Chuck here at Zion River Resort this evening.  Roger and I rushed out to meet Bridget and Spike, the canine crew.  I've followed her blog since before she retired, getting ready to hit the road.  She has quite a following, many more than read our humble little blog.  The RV world is truly a small one!  Back to the blog....

Fourteen years ago, before we had a trailer or a motor home, Roger and I dipped our toes back into camping by taking a three-week road trip with a mini van and a tent.  That trip took us to Arches, Bryce, and Zion and we vowed to return.  While at Bryce we took the Sunrise Point-to-Sunset Point hike, and after huffing and puffing our way up the switchbacks to the top, a ranger offered to take our photo.  It has been one of our favorite photos together.  


Amanda helped us try to recreate the photo at Sunset Point before we started down the switchbacks.  We're obviously older and grayer, but 14 years ago we were both still working (Roger at his school and I at Charles Schwab) and I think we're both actually in better shape now than we were back then.  At least the trails seem easier!  

As we drove from Bryce Canyon back to Zion River Resort, we again needed to drive through Zion National Park and the tunnel (not exactly a hardship).  Just before we reached the first tunnel, Roger saw a big-horned sheep right next to the road.  He is the only one who noticed it, and immediately turned the car around and we parked.

Amanda took off down the road with her iPhone to get a closer look.  I took off after her with the camera to get a few shots of my own:

As soon as I got there, just like with the mother deer during our Watchman Trail hike, the sheep decided to take a whiz!  Looks like he's also sticking his tongue out at me, saying "Take that, you tourist!"  

One last trip down memory lane:  When we first bought our motor home, before Roger retired, we took Kaia on a road trip to Florida to swim with dolphins and then up through the Carolinas.  On that trip we let her add the state stickers to our map.  

Since this was our motor home's first trip into Utah, we waited for her to arrive to help us put the Utah sticker on the map.  Looks like we've visited a few states since 2007!

The pet photo of the day is a shot of Bandido the morning after the girls arrived.  He was more than happy to stand guard over Kaia all night!  Both dogs spent most of the week at Doggie Dude Ranch, since we were gone way too long each day to leave them alone.  I know we missed them more than they missed us.

Tuesday morning it was back to Las Vegas to take Amanda and Kaia for their flight back to Florida, then straight to Doggie Dude Ranch to pick up our furry "kids."  Tomorrow our adventure will be Roger and I attempting the Angel's Landing hike.  I already know I won't be joining him at the very top!